I 


I 


INTERIOR    DECORATION 
ITS  PRINCIPLES  AND   PRACTICE 


By  the  Same  Author 

*         9         * 

INTERIOR    DECORATION 

ITS    PRINCIPLES    AND    PRACTICE 

PRINCIPLES   OF   ADVERTISING 

ARRANGEMENT 

THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  DRESS 


A  1IODERX  LIVING-ROOM  IN  A  COUNTRY  HOUSE.  IN  CHOICE, 
TREATMENT,  AND  ARRANGEMENT  THIS  ROOM  (USING  MATERIAL 
FROM  VARIOUS  PERIOD  STYLES)  EXPRESSES  SUCCESSFULLY  THE 
MODERN  AMERICAN  IDEA.  PERIODS  ARE  SUCCESSFULLY  COMBINED 
TO  EXPRESS  A  SEQUENCE  OF  QUALITIES  RESULTING  IN  A  DIS- 
TINCT PERSONALITY.  INDIVIDUAL  (HARM  AND  AN  ILLUSTRATION 
OF  GOOD  TASTE  IN  THE  APPLICATION  OF  THE  FUNDAMENTAL 
PRINCIPLES    OF    INTERIOR    DECORATION 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

ITS    PRINCIPLES   AND    PRACTICE 


BY 

FRANK  ALVA II  PARSONS,  B.  S. 

PRESIDENT  OF  NEW  TOBK  SCHOOL  OF  FINE   AND  APPLIED   ART 


ILLUSTRATED 


DOIJBLEDAY,    PACE    &    COMPANY 

GARDEN      CITY  1920  NEW      YORK 


COPYRIGHT  1916 

DOUBLEDAY,  PAGE  &  COMPANY 

ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED,  INCLUDING  THAT 
OF  TRANSLATION  INTO  FOREIGN  LAN- 
GUAGES.  INCLUDING    THE  SCANDINAVIAN 


I 
u 

LIBRARY 


THIS  HOOK  IS  DEDICATED  TO  MY  FRIEND 
WILLIAM  M.  ODOM  WHOSE  LOYAL  AND 
SYMPATHETIC  COOPERATION  HAS  DONE 
MUCH  TO  CRYSTALLIZE   ITS   CONTENTS 


7*2 


FOREWORD 

MUCH  confusion  exists  at  the  present  time  as  to  the 
artistic  essentials  of  a  modern  house.  A  great  deal  has 
been  written — perhaps  more  has  been  said — about  this 
subject,  and  still  it  is  vague  to  most  of  us.  This  vague- 
ness is  partly  because  we  have  not  realized  fully  that  a 
house  is  but  the  normal  expression  of  one's  intellectual 
concept  of  fitness  and  his  aesthetic  ideal  of  what  is  beau- 
tiful. 

The  house  is  but  the  externalized  man;  himself  ex- 
pressed in  colour,  form,  line  and  texture.  To  be  sure,  he 
is  usually  limited  in  means,  hampered  by  a  contrary  and 
penurious  landlord  or  by  family  heirlooms,  and  often  he 
cannot  find  just  what  he  wants  in  the  trade;  but  still  the 
house  is  his  house.     ItisAe. 

Another  reason  for  this  vagueness  is  the  extreme 
difficulty  of  parting  with  traditions.  We  all  deplore  this 
reluctance  in  others  and  then  embrace  our  individual 
traditions  the  more  closely.  The  first  we  must  dispel 
are  those  concerning  art;  then  we  must  try  to  find  out 
what  art  really  is.  Another  quite  as  necessary  to  over- 
come is  the  generally  accepted  idea  that  one  must  learn 
all  he  knows  of  colour,  form  and  texture  through  "feel- 
ing." This  doctrine  has  for  generations  kept  the  con- 
sciousness of  thousands  of  people  closed  to  the  simplest 
principles  of  the  language  structure  of  colour  and  form. 
Being  free  of  these  misleading  traditional  beliefs,  the 

vii 


FOREWORD 

way  is  open  for  learning  to  do  what  is  not  only  essential, 

but  natural. 

The  periods,  too,  have  been  treated  as  strange  and  in- 
comprehensible, too  deep  and  mysterious  for  anything 
but  unquestioning  admiration  and  slavish  copy.  The 
decorative  idea  is  so  completely  hidden  by  the  belief 
in  and  admiration  for  ornamental  show,  that  the  Baroque 
idea  is  the  only  one  generally  considered  as  decorative 
at  all. 

These  and  other  misconceptions  are  the  reasons  for 
this  book.  It  is  modestly  hoped  that  it  may  be  of  service 
to  somebody  in  pointing  out  what  a  house  is  really  for 
and  what  it  should  express.  It  is  designed  also  to  make 
clear  the  essential  qualities  which  are  the  life  and  soul  of 
each  of  the  decorative  periods  in  history. 

More  than  anything  else,  perhaps,  it  attempts  to  ex- 
press simply  the  principles  of  colour  and  form  harmony 
in  such  a  way  that  any  one,  who  desires  to,  may  express 
with  some  degree  of  confidence  his  individual  ideas. 
These  ideas  in  terms  of  colour,  form,  line  and  texture 
form  his  ideal  of  interior  decoration. 

Each  of  the  illustrations  submitted  is  an  expression 
of  some  particular  quality  or  qualities  explained  in  the 
captions.  The  violation  of  other  principles  of  arrange- 
ment in  some  cases  detracts  from  the  perfect  unity  of 
the  room.  Each  illustration  should  be  seen  from  this 
point  of  view  also. 


CONTENTS 
PART  I 

PAGE 

Introduction 

When,  Where,  and  How  to  Decorate 3 

CHAPTER 

1        Colour  and  Its  Relation  to  the  Decorative  Idea       17 

"       The  Principles  of  Form  and  Their  Relation    to 

the  Decorative  Idea 5(5 

IH-     Balance  and  Movement 78 

lv-     Emphasis  and  Unity 88 

v-      Scale,   Motifs   and   Textures  as  They  Relate  to 

Furnishing  and  Decorating 97 


PART  n 

▼*•     Historic  Art  Periods  and  the  Ideas  Which  They 

Represent 117 

v"     The  French  Renaissance  and  the  French  Styles  131 

V1"   The  French  Styles 145 

,x      The   Regency   and    the    Periods    of    Louis    XV 

and  XVI 154 

x       The  Tudor  Period— The  English  Styles      .      .      .  170 

xl      The  Stuart  Period  and  the  Dutch  Influence    .      .  180 

IX 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

X,L    The  Dutch  Influence,   or  the  Period  of  Queen 

Anne 186 

xin-  The  Period  of  Individual  Creation— Chippen- 
dale, Hepplewhite,  Sheraton,  Adam  and  other 
Georgian  Types 195 

XIV-  The  Colonial  Style 206 


PART  HI 

xv-    The  Modern  House 225 

XVI-  The  Individual  House 238 

xvn-  Some  Special  Suggestions 

Choice,  Framing  and  Hanging  Pictures,  Hanging 
Curtains,  Methods  of  Lighting,  Choice  of  Deco- 
rative Objects,  General  Placement       .      .      .      .251 

Index 275 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

A  Modern  Living-room  in  a  Country  House      Frontispiece 

FACING    PAOE 

The  Proper  Use  of  Decorative  Ornament  in  Strength- 
ening and  Beautifying  the  Architectural  Effects  of 

Stairway  and  Windows 4 

The  Wrong  Use  of  Ornament  Applying  Without  Pur- 
pose or  Reason         6 

Doorway  Which  Elustrates  Structural  Emphasis  by 

Ornament 8 

Doorway,  Illustrating  Over-emphasis  of  the  Top  by 

too  Much  Ornament 8 

A  Console  Table,  Good  in  Proportion 8 

A  Commode ° 

Elevation  Sketch  of  Simple  Room  in  Which  the  Dec- 
orative Idea  is  Correctly  Expressed         ....         1° 
Historic  Room,  Illustrating  the  Principles  of  Success- 
ful   Wall    Decoration    and    Consistent,    Structural 
Unity  in   the  Arrangement  of  Furniture       ...         12 

A  Descriptive  Colour  Chart .20 

A  Modern  Library  Whose  Walls  and  Ceiling  arc  Class- 
ics of  Their  Type 24 

A  Historic  Room  in  the  Style  of  Louis  XVI    ....         28 

A  Historic  Room  in   French  Style 28 

Elevation  Sketch  in  Black,  White  and  One  Colour    .      .         32 

Bedroom  in  Country  Inn ;5,i 

Elevation  Suggesting  Wall  and  Furniture  Treatment 

for  a  Simple  Dining-room  in  a  Country   House     .         44 
Charming  Feminine  Sitting-room 48 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING   PAGK 

Man's    Studio    Living-room    Arranged    to   Give   the 

Effect  of  Simplicity,  Quiet  and  Dignity  Throughout .  52 
Two  Areas  Equal  and  Monotonous      .  .   [page]       75 

Two  Areas  Unrelated  and  Incomparable  .  .  [page]  75 
Two  Areas  Subtle,  Comparable  and  Interesting  [page]  75 
Decorative  Treatment,  Expressing  Simplicity,  Dignity, 

Formality  and  Elegance 78 

Elevation    Colour    Sketch    of    Dining-Room    Which 

Illustrates  Subtle  Relationships  in  Wall  Spacing  .  80 
Elevation  Sketch  for  Young  Girl's  Bedroom  ...  82 
An  Italian  Chair  Whose  Lines  Create  an  Opposition 

in  Movement 84 

A  Chinese  Chippendale  Chair  with  Mixed  Line  Ar- 
rangements      84 

Rhythmic  Line  Movement  Found  in  Contour  of  Chair 

Throughout 92 

Textile,  Elustrating  Rhythmic  Movement  Through- 
out the  Pattern •* 

Side  Wall  Elevation  in  Colour,  with  Excellent  Back- 
ground Spacings 94 

Simple  Side  Wall  Elevation,  Expressing  Good  Scale 

Relations 9S 

Formal,    Bisymmetric   Wall    Treatment,    Illustrating 

Rest,  Formality  and  Simplicity 98 

Hallway  and  Dining-room  in  a  Suburban  House  .  .  10<' 
Living-room,  Illustrating  a  Particularly  Fine  Sense  of 

Scale  Relations  in  Decorative  Motifs  ....  108 
Woman's  Sitting-room  in  Modern  Style    .      .      .      .      110 

A  Modern  Library  Living-room 112 

An  Early  Sienese  Gothic  Madonna  and  Child      .      .      .      120 
An  Early  Tapestry  with  the  Gothic  Spirit  and  a  Dec- 
orative Quality  Most  Apparent 120 

A  Painting  Which  Shows  Plainly  the  Lingering  Traces 
of  Refinement I2®' 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING    FACE 

A  Painting  Where  the  Appeal  of  the  Saint  Is  One  of 
Human  Sentiment 120 

A  Later  Tapestry  in  Which  the  Humanistic  Ideal  Is 

Triumphant    ...  120 

Sketch  Showing  the  Early  Italian  Renaissance   .      .      .      184 

Later  Italian  Renaissance,  Adapted  in  Lighter  Scale  to 
a  Modem  Hall 134 

Early  Italian  Room,  Expressing  Restraint  and  Strength 
of  the  Marly  Masculine  Type 138 

Early  English  Room.  Expressing  a  Distinctly  Mascu- 
line Feeling 138 

A  Beautiful  Room  in  the  Period  of  Louis  XV  .      .      160 

Sketch  for  a  Modern  Drawing-room  in  Louis  XV  and 
XVI  Styles 101 

An  Old  English  Cabinet  Whose  Material,  Size  and 
Structure  Express  the  Qualities  of  the  Elizabethan 
Period 176 

A  ( lolonial  Hall,  Expressing  the  Qualities  of  Simplicity, 

Sincerity   and    Restraint 208 

Suitable  Bedroom  for  Two  Boys 226 

Simple  Bedroom  Suitable  for  Guest's  Chamber  in 
Country  House        226 

A  Delightfully  Simple  Modern  Bedroom  with  Feminine 
Touch,  Expressing  Qualities  Essential  to  Rest  and 
Sleep _  .226 

Man's  Bedroom,  Expressing  Restfulness,  Individuality 
and   Masculine  Quality 228 

Simple  Elevation,  Suggesting  Wall  and  Furniture  Treat- 
ment   for  Country  Tearoom 228 

Sketch   for   Louis   XIV    Dining-room  .       .       230 

Modern  Dining-room  in  a  City  Apartment,  Express- 
ing Elegance,  Dignity  ami  Refinement  •  1-':;o 

A  Modern  Dining-room,  Showing  the  "Georgian  and 
Chippendale  Feeling" 232 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING   PAGE 

A  Modern  Living-room 234 

A    Modern    Library    Whose    Luxurious    Decorative 

Charm  Lies  in  Its  Unity  of  Treatment       •      •      .      234 
A   Modern   Drawing-room   in  Which   the  Furniture 
shows   Good  Functional   and  Structural  Arrange- 
ment     236 

Bedroom  of  Marie  Antoinette,  Little  Trianon     .      .      .      236 

Bedroom  of  Louis  XIV  at  Versailles 236 

Bed  of  Queen  Elizabeth  of  England 236 

Simple  Decorative  Choice  and  Arrangement  of  Ma- 
terials         238 

Bedroom  in  Suburban  House,  Expressing  Quaintness 

and  a  Charm  of  Decorative  Arrangement  .      .      .      238 
A  Successful  Adaptation  of  the  Late  Gothic  and  Ren- 
aissance in  a  Modern  City  House 242 

A  Young  Man's  Bedroom  with  Backgrounds  of  Wall 

Paper  and  Rug  Expressing  Restf  ulness  and  Quiet       .      244 
Another  Corner  of  the  Same  Bedroom      ....      244 
A  Modern  Dining-room  Whose  Strength  Is  Its  Simplic- 
ity, Restfulness,  Dignity  and  Consistency  ...      252 
A  Modern  Feminine  Sitting-room,  Restrained,  Restful 

through  Balance 252 

Man's  Living-room  and  Library  Showing  the  Success- 
ful Combination  of  Italian,  French  and  English 
Materials 254 


INTERIOR    DECORATION 
PART   I 


PART  I  INTRODUCTION 

WHEN,     WHERE,     AND     HOW     TO     DECORATE 

THE  very  term  "interior  decoration"  is  misleading, 
and  is  the  cause  of  much  of  the  bad  interpretation  of  the 
decorative  idea  for  which  it  stands.  Love  of  beauty 
and  the  desire  to  create  it  is  a  primal  instinct  in  man. 
The  personal  pride  and  pleasure  one  takes  in  his  own 
house  is  too  generally  acknowledged  to  need  comment. 
If,  however,  one  desires  to  possess  a  so-called  artistic 
house,  the  making  of  such  a  house  involves  an  under- 
standing of  certain  principles. 

In  the  first  place  there  are  two  quite  distinct  classes 
with  whom  one  must  deal :  first  that  of  the  art  connois- 
seur, or  artist  collector  of  antique  objects.  While  every 
man  of  this  type  is  individual,  there  are  principles  of 
choice  and  arrangement  by  which  he  must  be  governed, 
be  his  taste  ever  so  fine.  His  room  is  a  personal  expres- 
sion of  his  taste  in  the  combining  of  things  with  different 
meanings,  but  it  is  quite  impossible  for  the  rank  and  file 
of  those  who  live  in  ordinary  homes  to  appreciate  such 
an  expression. 

Because  of  this  first  class  the  general  public  has  not 
grasped  the  difference  between  a  museum  or  depart- 
ment-store collection  of  objects,  such  as  furniture, 
hangings,  carpets,  etc.,  and  a  room  in  which  to  live. 
Only  an  artist  can  be  trusted  to  attempt  such   house 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

furnishing.  By  an  artist  I  do  not  mean  a  man  who 
paints  pictures  merely.  I  mean  a  man  who  possesses 
the  art  quality  in  such  a  degree  that  he  may  be  able, 
not  only  to  group  art  objects  in  any  field,  but  also  that 
he  may  have  a  sensitive  appreciation  of  them  in  what- 
ever combination  they  may  appear. 

The  second  class  includes  ninety-five  per  cent,  of  all 
people  who  use  a  house,  and  it  is  to  them  in  particular 
that  this  book  is  given. 

We  find  among  these  a  lack  of  the  remotest  conception 
of  what  decoration  really  is,  for  there  are  many  ways  in 
which  this  term  may  be,  and  is,  misapplied.  One  person 
believes  that  ornament,  pattern,  or  art  objects  placed 
anywhere,  in  any  relation  one  to  the  other,  must  be  deco- 
rative. Nothing  is  further  from  the  truth.  Be  a  thing 
ever  so  good,  it  may  easily  lose  its  charm  through  asso- 
ciation with  the  wrong  things.  Another  person  be- 
lieves that  the  more  he  buys  and  crowds  his  room  with 
either  new  or  expensive  objects,  the  more  decorative  or 
decorated  it  becomes.  This,  too,  is  a  fallacy.  Not  only 
is  it  not  decorative  to  use  too  much  or  too  many  decora- 
tive things,  but  it  prevents  any  one  of  the  objects  from 
having  a  decorative  effect.  Neither  these  things  nor 
their  cost,  neither  show,  vogue,  period,  nor  sentimental 
foolishness,  are  in  the  least  concerned  with  an  expression 
of  the  decorative  idea. 

Decoration  implies,  first  of  all,  something  to  decorate. 
By  this  we  mean  some  definite  form  or  arrangement 
to  which  decoration  is  to  be  applied,  and  a  reason  for 
applying  it.  It  is  not  because  I  have  a  room  that  I 
rush  to  pile  something  onto  or  into  it.  It  is  because  I 
need  some  things  in  certain  places  in  this  room.  This 
4 


■ 


WHEN,  WHERE,  AND  HOW  TO  DECORATE 

necessitates  additions  of  a  certain  kind  to  make  the 
room  fulfill  its  function,  and  to  make  it  a  beautiful  unit 
when  it  is  finished.  The  room  is,  first  of  all,  to  fulfill 
its  function.  This  matter  of  function  is  fundamental 
in  any  applied  art.  The  room,  and  most  objects  in  the 
room,  exist  for  use  first.  The  quality  of  beauty  is  de- 
sirable and  essential  in  fulfilling  the  highest  ideal;  but 
however  beautiful  the  objects  are,  if  the  functional  idea 
is  not  adequately  and  fully  carried  out,  the  art  from  the 
standpoint  of  house  furnishing  is  but  one-half  expressed. 
Take,  for  example,  a  dining-room.  The  first  question 
to  be  asked  is:  what  is  the  dining-room  for' — that  is, 
for  what  idea  does  a  dining-room  stand?  The  only  sensi- 
ble answer  is:  this  room  exists  to  eat  in,  and  to  eat  in 
in  peace.  Any  object  found  therein  which  detracts  for 
any  reason  from  this  idea  is  not  only  a  non-essential,  but 
a  preventive  of  the  realization  of  its  ideal.  When  I 
enter  a  dining-room  I  expect  to  see  a  table  of  such  size, 
proportion,  scale,  and  arrangement  as  will  not  only 
attract  my  aesthetic  sense,  but  will  also  bid  me  sit  and 
eat  in  comfort.  The  same  quality  should  be  felt  in 
whatever  is  on  the  table;  also  in  the  chairs,  the  side- 
board, and  other  accessories  essential  to  this  room.  If, 
however,  on  entering  the  room  I  find  as  the  most  promi- 
nent thing  the  embalmed  head  of  an  antique  deer  or  a 
collection  of  stuffed  birds,  or  other  objects  properly 
belonging  to  the  Museum  of  Natural  History,  then-  is 
nothing  present  in  these  to  bid  me  eat  or  permit  me  to  do 
so  in  peace.  A  still  more  common  and  glaring  failure  to 
realize  this  functional  idea  is  seen  in  the  inordinate  dis- 
play of  silverware,  cut  glass,  painted  dishes,  and  other 
indisf  riminate  acquisitions  of  family  life  displayed  upon 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

sideboard,  serving  table,  and  plate  rack,  or  even  hung 
upon  the  walls  as  decorative  objects.  Not  only  is  it  in 
bad  taste  to  display  one's  private,  collections  to  public 
gaze,  but  it  suggests  in  this  case  that  articles  designed 
for  use,  and  requiring  cleanliness  as  their  essential  qual- 
ity, will  need  some  personal  attention  before  they  can  be 
placed  upon  the  table,  or  used  elsewhere.  They  are 
neither  decorative  nor  related  to  the  scheme  of  furnish- 
ing a  dining-room. 

If  the  problem  is  a  bedroom,  I  ask  myself  what  is  the 
bedroom  for,  and  the  answer  comes:  the  bedroom  is 
a  place  in  which  to  rest  and  sleep.  If  this  is  what  the 
room  is  for,  anything  in  its  furnishing  and  decoration 
that  interferes  materially  with  these  two  functions 
should  be  avoided.  The  bed,  dressing-table,  chair, 
toilet  articles,  etc.,  in  this  sequence,  seem  to  be  the  es- 
sentials for  such  a  room.  Spotted  wall  papers,  floral 
carpets,  scattered  photographs,  and  the  like,  create  a 
series  of  stripes  and  spots  that  are  not  only  ugly  in 
their  arrangement,  but  unrestful,  undignified,  and  per- 
plexing in  their  effect. 

In  the  same  way,  the  living-room  is  meant  to  live  in. 
We  associate  with  this  room  objects  which  one  needs  to 
have  about  him  for  comfort,  use,  companionship,  and 
personal  enjoyment. 

The  drawing-room  offers  rather  a  problem  of  general 
use.  It  is  the  room  in  which  not  only  friends  but  ac- 
quaintances and  other  guests  make  brief  stays  for  pur- 
poses of  formal  social  intercourse.  Such  things  as 
stimulate  conversation,  arouse  wit,  and  express  one's 
general  good  taste  belong  in  this  room. 

It  will  be  clearly  seen  that  the  problems  of  the  dining- 


>l\(.      Willi 


mi.  iiM.i    i  v  i  -i 


WHEN,  WHERE,  AND  HOW  TO  DECORATE 

room,  hotel  corridor,  the  general  reception  room,  etc., 
are  individual  ones.  The  dominating  idea  of  function 
separates  one  from  the  other,  and  renders  each  case  a 
problem  for  special  consideration  before  taking  up  the 
question  of  decorative  arrangement. 

In  eliminating  from  rooms  already  furnished  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  articles  to  make  a  beginning  possible,  it 
is  necessary  to  discuss  one  universal  quality.  Every 
one  normally  made  has  what  he  calls  a  sentiment  for 
certain  things.  This  sentiment  is  primarily,  of  course, 
supposed  to  apply  to  persons  or  their  characteristics,  but 
unfortunately  it  has  been  allowed  to  extend  to  all  sorts 
of  material  objects,  wedding  gifts,  family  heirlooms, 
Christmas  presents,  bargain-sale  effects,  and  other  things 
with  which  nearly  every  home  is  filled. 

The  first  error  to  combat  in  this  field  is  the  one  through 
which  the  object  bequeathed  by  a  relative  is  confused 
with  the  relative  himself.  Because  one's  uncle  possessed 
a  crayon  portrait  of  himself,  or  a  mahogany  table  ugly 
in  line,  bad  in  proportion,  and  disagreeable  in  colour,  is 
no  reason  why  these  inartistic  objects  should  be  perpetu- 
ated in  each  generation  until  the  family  line  is  extinct. 
This  same  uncle — be  he  ever  so  perfect  in  moral, 
spiritual,  and  even  aesthetic  qualities — could  not  and 
would  not  wish  to  transfer  I  lie  qualities  of  these  objects 
to  the  consciousness  of  his  descendants  simply  because, 
for  some  unknown  reason,  he  used  them  while  he  was 
alive.  The  mahogany  table  and  its  qualities  are  quite 
apart  from  the  qualities  of  the  individual,  and  a  person 
who  connects  these  two  or  makes  them  one  is  not  a  man 
of  sentiment,  but  one  of  sentimentality  which  is  quite 
another  matter.     The  same  thin-  is  t  rue  where  gifts  and 

7 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

other  ugly  acquired  objects  are  indiscriminately  cher- 
ished. The  only  possible  excuse  for  keeping  such  things 
about  is  the  lack  of  money  to  buy  new  ones  and,  even  in 
that  case,  better  nothing  at  all  than  bad  things  where 
good  ones  ought  to  be. 

Probably  the  most  difficult  thing  for  any  person  who 
truly  desires  an  artistic  home,  is  to  acquire  the  courage 
to  put  forever  out  of  sight  those  things  which  absolutely 
prevent  the  realization  of  his  ideal. 

The  attributes  of  beauty  are  perhaps  difficult  to  under- 
stand at  first,  but  in  subsequent  chapters  we  shall  see 
that  the  merest  novice  can  be  helped  to  produce  this 
quality  if  he  can  grasp  the  element  of  function  and  elim- 
inate sentimentality  from  his  consciousness  at  the  out- 
set. 

To  return  now  to  the  question  of  decoration  itself, 
some  very  elementary  yet  vital  statements  may  be  made 
here.  Since  every  applied  art  object  involves  two  ele- 
ments— use  and  beauty — it  is  essential  that  we  see  these 
in  their  relation  to  each  other  and  in  their  relation  to  the 
decorative  idea. 

As  has  been  stated  before,  with  a  useful  thing,  use  is 
paramount.  One  of  the  old  masters  of  the  Renaissance 
said:  "Decoration  must  never  be  applied  where  use  is 
sacrificed  in  its  application."  To  appreciate  this  is 
probably  the  first  step  in  grasping  the  meaning  of  the 
decorative  idea.  How  often  do  we  see  fruits  and 
flowers  painted  in  the  centre  of  a  plate  upon  which  we 
must  eat  anything  ranging  from  soup  to  dessert.  If 
these  do  not  appear,  fish  do,  and  this  complicates  the 
situation  considerably.  The  sofa  pillow — that  much- 
abused  decorative  article — is  not  decorative  to  most 


\    CONSOLE     rABLE,  GOOD    l\     PROPORTION,    HI    I     Willi    ORNAMEN1 
EXPLOITED    I"!:    ITSEL1      l\     \    "CHRISTMAS     rREE '       IRHANGEMEN1 

DISREGARDING                                   lND    Fl    ACTIONAL    CONSIDERATIONS, 
i.  COMMODE,   Bl    \'    I  II  '   I    IN    PROPORTION,  WITH  ORNAMENT   VPPLIED 
IN  A     I  l.i   I-,     DECORATIVE  MANNER,  EMPHASIZING   STRUCTURE     VND 
PIONA1     VPPOIN1  MENTS,    II  win. I  -    \M)  KI.1 


WHEN,  WHERE,  AND  HOW  TO  DECORATE 

people  if  it  is  a  solid  colour  or  the  colour  of  their  divan. 
They  must  display  prominently  in  its  centre  objects 
human,  animal,  vegetable,  and  sometimes  mineral.  The 
carpet  and  rug,  with  roses  and  lilies  natural  enough  to 
demand  respect,  are  trodden  on  without  the  slightest 
feeling  as  to  the  fitness  of  things  in  materials.  Flowers 
appear  upon  our  walls,  and  into  them  we  drive  nails,  on 
them  we  hang  pictures,  and  as  they  glaringly  intrude 
themselves  we  are  forever  prevented  from  using  hang- 
ings or  other  fittings  decoratively  upon  them. 

This  question  of  applying  decoration,  it  will  be  seen, 
is  not  only  concerned  with  the  objects  mentioned,  but 
with  furniture  and  other  art  objects  when  they  are  in- 
tended for  use,  and  the  decorative  idea  interferes  in  the 
least  with  that  use.  The  same  authority  has  given  us 
help  by  a  statement  like  this:  "Decoration  exists  to 
emphasize  and  make  structure  stronger,  and  also  to 
add  beauty  to  the  object  decorated."  The  first  con- 
sideration here,  it  will  be  seen,  is  not  the  decoration, 
but  the  structure  of  the  object  to  be  decorated.  Take 
for  example  the  door  and  its  trim.  The  casing  is  bor- 
dered on  each  of  its  edges  by  mouldings  more  or  less  dis- 
tinct. They  are  greater  or  fewer  in  number,  according 
to  the  scale  of  the  door,  but  always  extend  in  the  same 
direction  as  the  structure  of  the  door;  that  is,  each 
parallel  to  the  other,  with  their  angles  always  right 
angles.  These  mouldings,  following  exactly  the  struc- 
ture of  the  opening,  as  well  as  the  door  itself,  not  only 
call  attention  by  their  lines  to  the  opening,  but  serve  to 
strengthen  or  make  more  emphatic  the  outline  of  this 
opening.  At  the  same  time  they  perform  the  second 
function  of  breaking  up  the  surface  of  the  woodwork 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

casing.  This  breaking  up  relieves  the  monotony  of  the 
flat  surface,  making  the  casing  more  interesting  and, 
consequently,  more  beautiful  in  most  instances  than  a 
perfectly  flat  surface  could  be  made  to  appear. 

The  chimney  piece  with  its  mantel  shelf  frequently  has 
classic  mouldings  or  simple  lines  bordering  and  bound- 
ing it.  In  this  case  the  moulding  becomes  a  decorative 
idea  because  it  has  followed  and  strengthened  the 
structural  appearance,  and  has,  through  a  modest  dis- 
play of  variation  in  surface  and  arrangement,  expressed 
beauty  or  the  decorative  idea.  One  may  readily  see 
how  this  can  be  applied  to  a  rug.  A  plain  border,  two 
or  three  bands,  a  few  simple  lines  following  the  edge  of 
the  rug  conforms  to  this  law  and  also  to  the  first  princi- 
ple stated,  since  there  is  no  reason  why  one  should  not 
step  upon  an  abstract  decorative  line. 

At  this  point  further  illustration  is  unnecessary,  but 
one  should  test  not  only  these  articles  each  in  itself,  but 
their  arrangement  as  decorative  effects  in  the  room. 

A  helpful  suggestion  may  be  given  here.  An  English 
writer  has  said  that  the  confusion  between  decoration 
and  ornamentation  has  led  to  many  abuses  of  historic 
ornament.  This  is  just  as  true  of  any  other  ornament 
seen  in  its  true  relation  to  the  subject  under  treatment. 
"Decoration,"  he  says,  "exists  to  strengthen  structure 
and  make  more  beautiful  the  object  on  which  it  appears. 
Ornamentation,  on  the  other  hand,  exists  to  exploit  it- 
self at  the  expense  of  the  thing  upon  which  it  is  applied." 
This  is  food  for  thought.  If  the  ornament  becomes  the 
end  instead  of  the  means,  or  in  other  words,  if  it  be- 
comes apparent  as  an  addition,  with  the  purpose  of 
showing  itself,  it  loses  the  decorative  quality  and  savours 
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WHEN,  WHERE,  AND  HOW  TO  DECORATE 

of  ostentation  and,  of  course,  proportionately,  of  vul- 
garity. It  is  well  to  remember  this  —that  in  any  decora- 
tive question,  decoration  does  not  exist  for  itself,  but 
for  the  thing  upon  which,  or  with  which,  it  is  used. 

Another  point  must  be  discussed  in  order  that  we  may 
begin  at  once  to  see  material  in  its  relation  to  decoration. 
Pattern  or  ornament  must  be  adapted  to  the  material  in 
which  it  is  rendered.  For  example,  perfectly  natural 
flowers  cannot  be  expressed  in  woollen  carpets  nor  in 
printed  wall  papers  at  so  much  a  roll.  Neither  can  veg- 
etables, birds,  and  flowers  be  painted  on  china,  glazed 
and  baked,  and  still  be  real.  Xor  is  this  desirable.  It 
is  misapplied  effort  to  attempt  to  copy  nature  exactly, 
and  to  reproduce  all  its  qualities  in  anything  excepting 
il  s  <>\vn  material. 

Modern  art  thought  has  been  almost  exclusively  influ- 
enced by  the  decadent  Renaissance  of  France.  Natu- 
ralism is  not  art,  it  is  imitation,  and  when  these  two  are 
confused,  successful  decoration  is  well-nigh  impossible. 
In  order  that  decorative  motives  may  perform  their 
function,  they  must  be  so  conventionalized  that  they 
seem  to  be  adequately  and  rightly  expressed  in  the 
material  with  which  or  in  which  they  are  used.  Only 
the  greatest  artists  of  any  time  are  fit  to  handle  natural- 
ism in  a  decorative  way,  and  then  the  conventionaliza- 
tion or  modification  of  them  to  suit  the  material  is  a 
criterion  of  their  decorative  excellence. 

Pictures,  ornaments,  and  other  objects,  each  perhaps 
decorative,  may  be  so  arranged  on  a  wall,  a  table,  or  a 
mantel,  as  to  destroy,  for  example,  the  rest  quality  of  a 
room.  Its  dignity,  too,  or  formality,  may  be  absolutely 
lost  in  the  arrangement  of  the  furniture  or  in  the  placing 

11 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

of  objects  of  ornament  about  the  room.  When  this  is 
done  the  decorative  object,  still  decorative  in  itself,  not 
only  fails  to  perform  its  decorative  function,  but  it  de- 
stroys the  fundamental  idea,  the  use  for  which  it  is  in- 
tended. This  is  illustrated  in  the  hanging  of  portieres 
at  doors  so  that  passage  is  well-nigh  impossible,  or  plac- 
ing window  hangings  in  such  a  way  that  no  light  can 
come  in  or  that  persons  outside  are  always  able  to  look  in. 
It  will  later  be  seen  that  there  is  a  way  to  hang  windows 
and  doors  decoratively,  and  still  not  interfere  with  their 
function.  This  way  is,  of  course,  the  right  way,  from 
the  standpoint  of  function,  as  well  as  of  art  and  common 
sense. 

It  will  be  seen  then  that  the  problem  of  decorating  a 
room  takes  into  account  its  function  and  the  function 
of  each  object  used  in  its  furnishing.  It  also  includes 
such  a  choice  and  arrangement  of  these  objects  as  will 
result  in  a  decorative  unit  adequately  expressed.  It  is 
really  a  question  of  seeing  structure  clearly  in  relation 
to  its  need  for  decorative  treatment,  and  then  seeing 
backgrounds  in  their  relation  to  the  decorative  objects 
used.  In  our  discussion  of  colour  this  matter  of  back- 
grounds will  be  considered. 

There  is  one  term  the  real  meaning  of  which,  in  its  re- 
lation to  interior  decoration,  has  become  obsolete  through 
long  misuse.  To  attempt  to  go  into  the  principles  of 
colour,  form,  and  composition  without  understanding 
this  term  would  be  futile.  I  refer  to  the  term  "art." 
This  word  more  than  any  other  has  been  played  with, 
misapplied,  and  used  for  purposes  of  sentimental  ex- 
ploitation until  it  seems  to  have  lost  its  significance. 
Perhaps  even  in  a  practical  discussion  of  interior  decora- 
12 


■  hi 


WHEN,  WHERE,  AND  HOW  TO  DECORATE 

tion  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  consider  this  term  in  its 
relation  to  life. 

I  have  said  that  man  intuitively  desires  to  create  and 
to  possess  beauty.  This  desire  is  equivalent  in  man's 
higher  self  to  the  appetite  for  food  or  drink  or  rest  in  the 
realm  of  physical  existence.  It  is  just  as  general,  just 
as  clearly  defined,  and  just  as  important  to  man's  reali- 
zation of  himself.  This  is  shown  by  an  investigation  of 
the  savage,  the  barbarian,  or  the  so-called  civilized  com- 
munities in  their  building  of  shelter  and  in  its  decora- 
tive treatment,  their  making  of  implements  and  utensils 
more  or  less  ornamented,  their  use  and  misuse  of  paint, 
metals,  and  textiles  in  matters  of  attire  and  in  all  ways 
by  which  man  expresses  naturally  his  life  activities. 

Art  is  then,  first  of  all,  a  state  of  mind,  a  condition  of 
consciousness  growing  out  of  a  desire  for  beauty;  or  one 
might  define  it  as  an  appetite  for  aesthetic  things.  The 
atrocities  committed  in  any  of  the  fields  I  mentioned 
are  but  sincere  attempts  to  create  the  natural  stimulus 
which  the  a-sthetic  sense  of  man  demands.  The  reasons 
for  these  inartistic  things  are  ignorance  and  over-zealous 
desire  for  beauty — not  a  wish  to  badly  express  the  idea. 
Since  art  is  a  state  of  mind  or  of  consciousness,  it  may 
be  described  as  harmony  between  the  idea  and  its  ex- 
pression and  between  all  parts  of  the  elements  through 
which  idea  is  expressed. 

The  first  division  of  this  art  quality  is  that  of  fitness  or 
function,  which  we  have  discussed.  This  requires  an 
element  of  intellectual  ability  on  the  pari  of  the  art  pro- 
ducer. The  aesthetic,  or  second  pari,  refers  to  the 
knowledge  and  feeling  regarding  the  relationship  of 
forms,  lines  and  colours  that  will  by  their  combination 

13 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

excite  an  aesthetic  emotion  when  presented  to  the  sense 
of  sight. 

The  response  to  the  aesthetic  or  art  quality  is  simply  a 
question  of  becoming  keen  to  what  relations  of  colour, 
form,  and  line  have  in  the  best  art  expression  succeeded  in 
exciting  the  strongest  aesthetic  emotion.  This  response 
reveals  what  basic  principles  underlie  the  formation  of 
these  combinations,  and,  finally,  determines  the  appli- 
cation of  these  principles  to  simple  problems  of  choice 
and  arrangement  of  the  necessary  things  for  any  room 
under  discussion. 

Nothing  is  more  helpful  in  sensing  the  art  quality  and 
securing  a  natural  expression  of  it  than  to  eliminate 
from  one's  mind  some  of  the  things  that  art  is  not. 

First,  it  is  not  prettiness.  Art  is  beauty,  and  beauty 
is  "from  within  out,"  not  "from  without  in."  Its  qual- 
ity is  eternal.  Beauty  of  mind,  if  it  exist,  may  express 
itself  unconsciously  in  whatever  one  does.  Some  people 
with  very  homely  and  ordinary  features  are,  when  think- 
ing and  acting  rightly,  truly  beautiful.  Prettiness,  on 
the  other  hand,  is  from  without.  It  is  ephemeral,  and 
pleases  the  eye  only.  It  takes  no  intellect  and  no  aes- 
thetic sense  to  appreciate  prettiness. 

Second,  the  inordinate  and  blind  worship  of  the  antique 
is  not  art.  If  a  man  at  seventy  has  retained  any  charm, 
it  is  in  spite  of  his  age,  not  because  of  it.  Time  softens 
and  accentuates  good  things  because  their  qualities  are 
permanent.  It  sometimes  aggravates  and  makes  un- 
bearable ugly  things  for  the  same  reason.  If  this 
difference  can  be  seen  in  persons,  it  certainly  can  be 
perceived  in  things.  Let  the  worship  of  pasted  labels, 
telling  how  old  an  article  is,  cease  to  exist,  and  one  ob- 
14 


WHEN,  WHERE,  AND  HOW  TO  DECORATE 

stacle  to  understanding  art  will  be  removed.     Another 

and  more  deadly  mistake  is  the  idolizing  of  a  particular 
man's  work.  "Is  it  a  real  Rembrandt?"  "Is  this 
truly  of  the  fifteenth  century?"  "Was  it  done  by 
Bramante?"  "Are  you  certain  this  is  an  authentic 
Queen  Anne  piece?"  No  one  has  ever  done  well  all  the 
time.  Much  of  the  work  of  the  very  greatest  artists 
has  been  unworthy  of  them.  Some  work  of  much  lesser 
lights  has  been  of  an  excellent  character.  Let  us  see 
the  quality  of  art  in  the  object,  and  not  the  man's  name 
or  the  conditions  under  which  he  made  it.  and  there  is  a 
chance  that  we  shall  know  art  when  it  appears  in  the 
work  of  others  or  in  our  own. 

It  is  more  difficult  still  to  disassociate  art  from  the  idea 
of  picture  painting.  In  the  past  drawing  and  painting 
have  been  art  education.  If  a  man  studied  art,  ex- 
pressed art,  or  loved  art  it  must  be  through  pictures 
only,  and  I  hey  were  expected  l<>  belong  to  the  school  of 
realism  and  naturalism,  in  which  not  a  thing  was  left  to 
the  imagination  of  the  observer  except,  perhaps,  how 
long  it  took  to  paint  them  and  how  much  it  cost  to  buy 
them.  To  disassociate  the  art  quality  from  pictures, 
drawings,  statuary,  or  any  one  particular  medium  of 
expression,  is  essential  to  the  realization  of  its  quality 
mi  any  field. 

Any  discussion,  however  simple,  of  these  terms  seems 
to  establish  the  following  facts:  thai  art  is  an  essential 
quality  in  human  life  and  that  it  is  the  expression  of  a 
knowledge  and  feeling  for  function?  1  fitness  and  for 
beauty  in  every  made  thing.  It  should  further  appear 
I  hat  decoration  is  the  natural  expression  of  this  art  qual- 
ity in  objects  of  use  and  beauty,  with  a  realization  of  their 

15 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

relation  to  each  other,  and  the  possibilities  and  limitations 
attendant  upon  the  problem  of  furnishing  a  house.  It 
should  seem  clear  also  that  the  structural  line  or  build 
of  the  object  is  the  guiding  idea  in  the  application  of 
whatever  is  to  be  used  decoratively  upon  the  room  as  a 
background.  The  decorative  material  must  not  only 
be  in  harmony  with  the  idea  for  which  each  piece  stands, 
but  it  must  be  used  harmoniously  in  making  up  the 
room  and  so  expressing  a  complete  decorative  thought. 


16 


PART  I  CHAPTER  1 

COLOUR     AND      ITS      RELATION      TO      THE 
DECORATIVE     IDEA 


MAN  expresses  his  ideas  or  conveys  his  thoughts  to 
others  by  means  of  language,  and  language  consists  of  a 
set  of  symbols  which  serve  to  establish  a  standard  sys- 
tem of  communication  between  all  persons  by  whom 
these  symbols  are  understood.  To  all  who  understand 
English  the  word  "boy"  conveys  practically  the  same 
general  moaning.  In  any  tongue  the  word  symbol  is 
meant  to  establish  a  criterion  of  understanding  as 
to  some  object  or  idea  for  which  the  word  symbol 
stands. 

The  same  truth  may  be  applied  to  musical  torn ;s.  A 
succession  of  sounds  or  a  chord  of  tones  conveys  to  him 
who  understands  this  language  a  concord  of  musical 
elements  expanded  into  a  motif.  A  quality  or  an  emo- 
tion quite  similar  in  its  nature  is  aroused  in  all  persons 
who  hear  and  understand.  Musical  composition  exists 
to  convey  from  one  person  toothers  a  stimulant,  whose 
action  on  the  aesthetic  sense  and  on  the  consciousness  of 
human  beings  shall  result  in  awakening  definite  emo- 
tions, thus  constructing  definite  Ideas. 

The  picture  language,  and  its  efficient  method  of  com- 
municating ideas  even  between  people  who  do  not 
understand  the  same  word  language  or  the  same  sound 

17 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

language,  is  too  well  known  and  understood  to  require 
comment.  Age,  success,  national  limitations,  and  edu- 
cational development  are  alike  unable  to  destroy  the 
power  of  the  pictured  idea. 

Colour,  which  is  perhaps  one  of  the  most  potent  and 
certainly  one  of  the  most  pleasing  means  of  expressing 
ideas,  is  least  understood.  It  is  of  all  language  forms 
the  most  abused.  This  is  partly  due  to  the  fact  that  in 
this  age  colour  is  usually  accepted  as  good  because  it 
belonged  to  some  period  expression,  or  because  some 
particular  person  used  it,  or,  what  is  more  lamentable, 
because  some  individual  likes  it  for  personal  reasons. 
The  sentimental  aspect  of  colour,  sensed  and  used  for  the 
orgy  for  emotions  it  creates,  has  done  much  to  retard  the 
scientific  and  sensible  understanding  and  use  of  it.  If 
it  is  worth  knowing  at  all,  it  is  worth  understanding  as 
well  as  feeling,  and  it  is  also  worth  using  to  express  with 
the  utmost  perfection  all  that  its  component  elements 
can  possibly  tell. 

Like  all  other  language  expressions  there  are  two  ways 
of  approaching  it  from  the  constructive  standpoint: 
first,  one  may  be  surrounded  by  a  harmonious  colour 
environment.  He  may  be  led  to  see  what  is  really  good 
and  bad  under  this  condition  and  he  may  by  uncon- 
scious absorption — particularly  if  he  has  a  natural 
instinct  for  colour  discernment — learn  to  sense  right  rela- 
tionships and  use  them  in  his  own  life  expression.  This 
manner,  however,  of  acquiring  knowledge  is  one  sided, 
and  is  applicable  mostly  to  persons  who  are  unusually 
endowed,  leaving  one  with  no  standard  of  judgment  ex- 
cept feeling.  Since  feelings  are  emotions  and  differ 
absolutely  in  individuals,  they  must  also  vary  in  every 
18 


THE  DECORATIVE  IDEA 

instance,  and  therefore  the  results  of  this  training  with 
most  persons  are  somewhat  unreliable. 

On  the  other  hand,  colour,  when  considered  as  a  power 
in  nature,  and  regarded  as  a  normal  method  of  express- 
ing ideas,  may  be  as  scientific  in  its  inception  and  work- 
ings as  any  other  power  in  nature,  so  becoming  a 
tangible  thing  to  acquire  and  use. 

Science  has  not  developed  colour  as  it  has  sound,  but 
then-  are  many  analogies  apparent  to  the  uninitiated. 
Sound  is  produced  by  the  vibration  of  the  ether  surround- 
ing us.  Colour  is  produced  by  the  vibration  of  light  in 
the  same  ether.  Sound,  its  combinations  and  messages, 
reachconsciousnessthroughthesenseof hearing.  Colour, 
its  elemental  meanings,  combinations,  and  force,  reach 
the  same  consciousness  in  the  same  way  through  the  sense 
of  sight.  The  impressions  of  sound  and  colour  are  inter- 
woven in  consciousness  through  association  with  other 
ideas  and  with  each  other,  until  music  seems  to  have 
colour,  and  colour  seems  to  express  musical  tone.  In 
fact,  so  closely  are  these  media  associated  in  the  minds 
of  many  persons  that  it  is  not  dif  lieu  It  for  them  to  trans- 
late a  symphony  in  music  to  a  colour  harmony  exciting 
the  same  emotions,  or  the  colour  harmony  to  the  musical 
symphony  with  the  same  results.     It  is  not  the  purpose 

of  this  discussion  to  go  into  the  details  of  these  relation- 
ships, but  only  to  bring  to  the  mind  of  the  reader  the 
necessity  for  seeing  colour  at  the  outset  from  the  same 
standpoint  of  common  sense  and  adaptability  for  use 
that  he  sees  sound  symbols  or  picture  representations. 
The  interest  which  one  has  in  a  language  and  the  prog- 
ress he  makes  in  acquiring  it  depend  upon  perceiving 
clearly  the  simplest  elements  in  that  language,  their  re- 

10 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

lation  to  each  other  and  to  ideas  which  they  should  ex- 
press. The  treatment  of  colour  must  be  under  the  same 
conditions. 

It  has  been  said  that  colour  originates  in  light.  This 
may  be  proven  by  observing  colours  in  the  brilliant  sun- 
light, in  a  shaded  room,  on  a  very  dark  day,  just  before 
dark,  and  in  a  perfectly  darkened  room  if  this  were  possi- 
ble. The  change  in  their  appearance  in  each  case  is  due 
to  the  change  in  light  in  which  these  observations  are 
made.  The  colour  of  the  object  remains  the  same,  but 
the  condition  under  which  the  eye  receives  the  impres- 
sion changes.  The  dull  day  brings  dull  colours  appar- 
ently, and  similarly  the  bright  day  brilliant  ones.  This 
is  because  the  light  is  bright  or  dull,  and  not  because  the 
pigment  substance  has  in  any  way  been  changed. 

This  fact  is  important  in  the  selection  and  arrangement 
of  materials  for  furnishing  a  room,  inasmuch  as  the  room 
must  be  seen  ordinarily  in  all  kinds  of  weather,  day  and 
night,  with  both  natural  and  artificial  lights.  Unless 
one  knows  what  the  normal  colour  is  under  normal  cir- 
cumstances, he  is  unable  to  use  the  artificial  light  which 
comes  from  electricity,  gas,  or  oil,  or  to  use  hangings 
other  than  white,  or  to  place  upon  his  walls  any  colour 
from  which  light  must  be  reflected  onto  all  other  objects 
associated  with  it.  Is  it  not  clear  that  the  light  enter- 
ing a  room  may  be  changed  in  tone  by  the  colour  of  the 
window  hanging,  through  which  it  is  filtered,  by  re- 
flecting from  the  wall  some  of  the  colour  which  its  surface 
shows,  or  from  the  changed  aspect  which  it  must  take 
on  if  the  light  itself  is  produced  by  artificial  means? 

All  of  us  have  seen  blue  turn  to  green  when  seen  under 
artificial  light.  We  have  seen  violet  almost  become  red , 
20 


A    DESCRIPTIVE    COLOUB    CHART 

YELLOW 
YELLOW  ORANGE  YELLOW  GREEN 


GRAY    YELLOW 
GRAY   ORANGE  GRAY  GREEN 

BLU^£REEN 

^H        ^V    RED   VIOLET        ^H       ^V      BLUE  VIOLET  ^^H 


I  III    mi    II  i;  (  [Rl  I  I     SHOWS  THE   NORMAL,  I  '   LL   INTENSE   PRIMARIES, 
BIN  IRIES,    \M)   III   ES. 

Illl.     ISM  i:     CIRCL1      SHOWS     IIAL1     Mi    n;\ll/l.li     PRIMARIES      \\U 
BINARIES    IS    I  mi     IPPROAi  II    I  III     BA(  KCKOI    SD   POSSIBILITY. 
OPPOSITE    rONES  IN    I  1 1 1 .  '  1 1;(  I  I  I     \i;i.  i   ILLED  COMPLEMENTS. 


THE  DECORATIVE  IDEA 

and  another  tone  of  violet  appear  gray.  These  are 
perfectly  natural  changes,  and  are  due  only  to  the  effect 
which  one  element  in  colour  produces  on  another  when 
used  in  connection  with  it.  Bad  colour  schemes  could 
easily  he  avoided  if  we  knew  the  power  of  each  of  the 
elements  concerned. 

It  is  wise  at  this  point  to  differentiate  between  colour  as 
the  physicist  uses  the  term  in  connection  with  colour  in 
light,  or  as  component  elements  of  pure  white  light  and 
the  pigment  colour  so  called,  which  includes  dyestufFs, 
printers'  inks,  oil  and  water-colour  paints,  etc.  These 
pigments  are  materials  which  absorb  a  part  of  each  ray 
of  light  and  leave  the  remaining  part  on  the  surface, 
giving  the  impression  to  the  eye  of  the  colour  which  one 
sees  when  he  beholds  any  object. 

In  terms  of  general  understanding  there  are  three 
elemental  pigments  which  express  the  three  primary 
elements  of  colour  found  in  white  light.  In  pigment 
terms  these  three  elements  are  called  yellow,  red,  and 
blue,  and  are  the  primary  colours  in  what  is  known  as 
the  colour  spectrum.  When  these  normal  elements  are 
in  their  fullest  strength  they  are  easily  fused  by  mixing 
into  a  neutral  gray  in  which  no  apparent  colour  is  seen. 
This  gray,  eliminating  all  colour,  is  the  proof  that  the 
three  elemental  pigments  are  the  foundation  of  the  col- 
our language  and  that  their  fusion  into  gray  is  the  trans- 
lation of  the  rainbow  speet rum  into  liuh I. 

Starting  then  with  yellow,  red,  and  blue  of  normal  tone, 
all  other  colour  tones,  with  the  additional  use  of  black 
and  white,  may  be  made.  Because  of  this,  yellow,  nil, 
ami  blue  stand  out  as  the  simplest,  most  primitive,  least 
involved,  and  most  easily  grasped  of  all  colour  tones. 

21 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

It  is  easy  to  understand  why  young  children,  primitive 
races,  and  persons  with  an  obtuse  colour  sense  can  with- 
out conscious  effort  appreciate  yellow,  red,  and  blue  in 
their  full  brilliancy  and  in  limitless  areas.  A  more 
refined  sense  or  a  greater  range  of  colour  possibility  ig- 
nores this  crudeness,  except  in  cases  of  extraordinary  em- 
phasis for  very  particular  reasons. 

Green  as  a  normal  colour  is  one-half  yellow  and  one- 
half  blue  in  force;  orange  is  one-half  red  and  one-half 
yellow ;  purple  is  one-half  red  and  one-half  blue.  These 
three  colours,  because  there  are  two  elements  involved 
in  each,  are  called  binary  colours,  and  these,  since  they 
contain  two  elements  each,  are  less  easily  grasped,  re- 
quire a  more  cultivated  sense,  and  express  a  wider  range 
of  quality  idea. 

With  these  six  colours  in  mind  let  us  examine  the  fun- 
damental meaning  of  each.  A  colour  tone  should  by 
its  very  nature  mean  a  quality,  and  should  arouse  in  the 
individual  the  feeling  of  quality,  and  not  merely  excite  a 
feeling  of  pleasure  or  bring  up  by  association  the  colour 
name. 

Yellow  is  more  than  any  of  these  like  the  sun  or  arti- 
ficial light  in  its  appearance.  In  fact,  it  is  very  like  most 
artificial  lights,  and  like  the  sun  when  one  looks  directly 
into  it.  Because  of  this,  yellow  is  called  light,  and  just 
as  light  brings  cheer  into  the  darkened  room,  just  as  it 
gives  life  to  plant  forms,  just  as  its  life-giving  and  cheer- 
giving  qualities  are  seen  in  other  manifestations,  so 
yellow,  entering  into  any  colour  scheme  whatever,  intro- 
duces into  it  the  same  quality  feelings  of  light,  cheer, 
buoyancy  and  life. 

The  darkened  city  room,  with  its  one  window  opening 


THE  DECORATIVE  IDEA 

on  a  court,  may  be  made  livable  and  usable  by  means  of 
.1  yellow  wall  paper,  with  a  lighter,  softer,  yellow  ceiling. 
Then,  by  bringing  light  yellow  into  the  hangings  and 
using  yellow  lamp  shades  lined  with  white,  all  the 
light  will  be  conserved.  The  natural  and  artificial 
lights  will  be  supplemented  by  the  colour,  and  the  quali- 
ties  which  light  itself  has  will  be  forced  into  the  scheme 
of  the  room.  To  forget  the  power  of  light  in  room  ar- 
rangement is  to  forget  the  fundamental  fact  in  all  colour 
use.  This  does  not  mean  that  in  any  of  these  cases 
a  perfectly  full,  intense,  brilliant  yellow  should  appear, 
but  a  colour  tone,  in  which  yellow  is  the  dominating 
element.  Such  names  as  buff,  cream,  ecru,  lemon, 
etc.,  are  given  to  yellow  colour  tones  in  which  yellow  is 
the  dominating  element. 

Red  suggests  blood  and  fire — blood  as  it  relates  to  the 
life-giving  or  vitalizing  force  in  man  which  makes  him 
think  more  quickly  and  act  more  quickly — which 
arouses  his  passions,  and  creates  ideas  of  warmth  and 
irrital  ion.  This  is  particularly  true  because  persons  have 
been  born  and  have  lived  with  blood  red  in  colour  and 
with  fire  red  in  its  dominating  element.  We  know  by 
life  experience  the  effects  of  such  things  on  the  actions 
of  man. 

This  quality  of  aggressive  action  on  the  part  of  red  is 
curious  in  its  effect  when  used  in  excess.  Some  two 
years  ago  in  a  large  department  store  a  small  room  was 
built  and  coloured  throughout  a  bright  normal  red.  A 
jury  of  six  men  was  invited  to  estimate  the  size  of  the 
interior.  The  same  room  was  removed  to  another  part 
of  the  store  and  coloured  in  lighl  clear  blue.  The  same 
partv  of  men  was  asked  to  estimate  the  size  of  this  room. 

23 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

They  estimated  the  latter  to  be  over  thirty  per  cent, 
larger  than  the  former,  and  refused  to  believe  that  the 
two  rooms  were  identical. 

Red,  by  its  aggressive  nature,  seems  to  reach  man's 
consciousness  more  quickly  than  blue  and,  therefore, 
the  walls  and  ceilings  seem  to  contract  or  to  be  brought 
closer  together,  thus  lessening  the  apparent  size  of  the 
room.  The  effect  that  red  has  upon  animal  life  is  well 
illustrated  by  its  use  in  exciting  the  temper  of  the  bull  in 
the  Spanish  bull  ring,  the  turkey  gobbler  on  the  New 
England  farm,  or  the  savage  beast  in  the  jungles  of  the 
African  forest.  This  exciting  quality  which  red  pos- 
sesses is  a  valuable  asset  for  use  in  stage  settings  where 
the  primary  object  is  to  create  a  state  of  emotion  in  the 
audience  in  harmony  with  the  incident  which  the  actors 
wish  to  force  on  public  consciousness.  Those  who  have 
seen  Miss  Nethersole,  Mrs.  Patrick  Campbell,  or  Mrs. 
Fiske  in  any  of  their  pronounced  successes  can  readily 
see  how  the  use  and  the  absence  of  this  colour  have 
played  a  large  part  in  the  creation  of  an  atmosphere 
calculated  to  convince  the  audience  of  the  idea  which 
the  play  portrayed. 

The  skillful  use  of  red  brings  out— particularly  in 
town  houses — a  quality  of  warmth  and  inviting  hospi- 
tality not  to  be  despised.  On  the  other  hand,  a  use  of 
it  in  any  considerable  quantity  in  the  country  house 
suggests  the  temperature  that  is  likely  to  prevail,  in- 
stead of  giving  the  impression  of  an  antidote  for  the 
weather  one  is  trying  to  escape. 

Blue,  the  third  element  of  colour,  is  known  as  the 
cold  or  non-aggressive  element.  It  is  this  which  holds 
red  in  check  or  destroys  the  too  pronounced  effect  of 
24 


THE  DECORATIVE  IDEA 
yellow  and  red  in  a  combination  where  the  three  ele- 
ments appear.  The  association  of  blue  with  the  cold 
aspect  of  the  sky  on  a  winter's  night,  with  ice,  when 
seen  in  thick  cakes,  with  the  blue  waters  of  the  ocean, 
etc.,  has  given  blue  a  place  in  human  consciousness  that 
must  excite  the  qualities  with  which  it  is  associated. 
Blue,  then,  on  the  stage  and  in  the  house,  must  be  looked 
to  for  sensations  of  coolness,  repose,  restraint,  and  for- 
mality, as  well  as  for  an  antidote  in  case  of  too  warm  a 
temperature  or  a  too  excited  mental  state. 

Green  is  not  only  yellow  and  blue,  but  light  and  cool- 
ness, cheer  and  restraint.  The  grass  and  trees  in  sum- 
mer, combined  with  the  blue  sky,  help,  if  the  climate  is 
exhausting,  to  render  people  comfortable  and  to  make 
life  agreeable.  Green  is  a  colour  heralded  by  oculists  as 
beneficial  to  the  eyes,  and  is  regarded  as  soothing  to 
tired  nerves  and  injured  dispositions.  It  is  quite  right 
that  it  should  be  so  considered,  since  these  qualities — 
light  and  coolness,  cheerfulness  with  moderation,  rest 
and  vitality  are  intermingled  equally  in  the  sensations 
which  green  is  asked  to  arouse  when  presented  to  the 
sense  of  sight.  This  makes  green  an  admirable  colour 
under  certain  circumstances  to  use  in  hot  climates,  in 
country  houses,  and  for  nervous  people.  When  prop- 
erly harmonized  it  may  become  a  symphonic  part  of 
any  combination  under  any  circumstances. 

The  qualities  of  orange  will  also  lie  found  in  yellow 
and  red — that  is,  light  and  heat,  cheerful  vigour  and 
irritation,  vitality  and  aggression.  Orange,  then,  unless 
controlled,  arouses  all  those  qualities  opposed  to  green. 
It  inevitably  destroys  the  effect  of  repose,  restraint, etc., 
excepting  when  used   in  counteracting  combinations, 

25 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

where  the  control  is  with  the  other  colour  tones. 
Orange,  with  its  accessory  hues,  includes  such  colours  as 
browns  of  all  kinds,  red  buffs,  and  many  wood  colours,  as 
well  as  combinations  with  orange  as  dominant  while 
other  colours  hold  it  in  restraint  so  that  its  full  power 
is  not  exercised.  Small  quantities  of  brilliant  orange 
are  possible,  however,  since  only  a  small  area  is  essential 
to  give  all  the  impression  of  that  quality  that  is  health- 
ful for  the  ordinary  individual. 

Purple,  the  last  of  the  binary  colours,  seems  to  have 
expressed  itself  even  more  clearly  in  the  past,  and  is  the 
most  easily  grasped  of  the  three.  All  the  qualities  of 
red  and  all  the  qualities  of  blue  fused  together  result 
practically  in  ashes.  Ice  and  coals  of  fire  would  destroy 
each  other;  heat  and  arctic  temperature  neutralize 
each  other;  aggression  and  restraint  balance  or  comple- 
ment each  other,  and  shade,  quiet,  or  a  mystic  twilight 
result. 

Purple  has  always  been  used  with  a  mystic  signifi- 
cance by  the  church  and  is  known  as  royal  purple  be- 
cause of  its  association  with  the  mystic  ceremonials  of 
court  life.  Instinctively  people  have  chosen  purple  to 
express  the  stage  of  mourning  which  exists  between  the 
period  when  vogue  has  declared  pure  black  an  expres- 
sion of  one's  sorrow  and  the  time  when  he  may  again 
wear  any  colour  which  to  him  seems  suitable.  Purple 
is  shadow,  and  shadows  in  nature  are  always  some  purple 
tone.  Shade,  sorrow,  mysticism,  and  dignity  are  the 
fundamental  quality  characteristics  of  this  third  binary 
colour  when  it  is  seen  in  its  normal  tone.  There  are 
many  tones  of  this  colour  known  in  trade  parlance  as 
violet,  lilac,  lavender,  elephant's  breath,  London  smoke, 


THE  DECORATIVE  IDEA 

mauve,  etc.,  all  of  them  being  some  manifestation  of  the 
combination  of  the  two  elements  red  and  blue,  with  the 
addition  of  the  other  element  yellow  in  some  proportion, 
or  of  black,  with  purple  still  in  control. 

For  a  proper  understanding  of  these  colours  and  their 
real  meaning  it  is  essential  to  ignore  the  idea  of  vogue 
as  it  is  formulated  either  by  commercial  enterprise  or 
human  fancy,  and  manifested  from  year  to  year  in  the 
fashions  of  the  time.  This  statement  must  not  be 
taken  to  mean  that  an  entire  room  in  any  one  of  these 
colours  is  desirable  under  any  circumstances.  It  is 
merely  given  to  show  what  the  introduction  of  any 
colour  could  mean  and  does  mean,  consciously  or  un- 
consciously, more  or  less,  to  anybody  who  lives  in  it. 
The  word  tone  is  the  most  general  name  in  colour  use. 
Any  note  of  colour,  including  black,  white,  or  gray,  is  a 
colour  tone.  The  term  "normal  colour"  is  given  to  colour 
tones  when  they  are  at  their  fullest  strength  in  the 
sped  rum  circuit  or  rainbow  colour  scheme.  Any  colour 
which  i-  lighter  than  the  normal  colour  is  called  a  tint, 
and  any  colour  which  is  darker  than  the  normal  colour,  a 
shade.  A  neutral  tone  is  a  tone  in  which  there  is  no 
apparent  colour.  Neutral  gray,  black,  and  white  are 
the  only  true  neutrals.  Gold,  in  period  study,  is  some- 
times classed  as  a  neutral  lone,  although  of  course  it  is 
always  some  modified  form  of  yellow. 

Every  tone  of  colour  has  its  three  distinct  qualities. 
We  are  apt  to  think  of  a  colour  as  one  simple  thing,  and 
to  say  il  i>  either  loo  strong  or  too  weak  without  con- 
sidering this  fad.  The  first  quality  of  a  colour  tone 
is  its  hue.  In  speaking  of  yellow  we  mean  the  normal 
primary  yellow  in  which  there  is  no  other  element   pres- 

r. 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

ent.  One  should  be  able  to  detect  immediately  if 
yellow  has  blue  in  it  or  if  red  is  present  in  the  slightest 
degree.  As  soon  as  any  blue  appears  in  yellow  it  begins 
to  be  a  green.  This  green — any  green  in  which  there  is 
more  yellow  apparent  than  blue — is  called  yellow  green, 
and  all  tones  of  green  between  normal  green  and  yellow 
belong  to  the  class  of  hues  called  yellow  green. 

Add  to  normal  yellow  the  slightest  bit  of  red,  and  the 
colour  approaches  orange.  In  fact,  it  is  a  yellow  orange, 
and  all  tones  made  up  of  red  and  yellow,  which  are 
nearer  yellow  than  orange,  belong  to  the  class  of  hues 
known  as  yellow  orange.  Start  with  normal  red  and 
by  the  addition  of  yellow  the  colour  tone  approaches 
orange,  but  red  is  the  dominating  element.  In  such 
colour  tones  this  is  red  orange  because  it  belongs  to  the 
family  orange  and  the  element  red  is  in  excess  of  the 
element  yellow.  If  we  start  with  normal  red  and  add 
blue,  the  purple  hues  appear.  So  long  as  red  is  the 
dominating  element,  the  hues  are  the  red  purple.  If 
blue  is  the  starting  point,  however,  and  red  is  added,  the 
hues  between  normal  purple  and  blue  are  blue  purple. 
When  the  starting  point  is  blue,  and  yellow  is  added, 
the  blue  begins  to  assume  a  greenish  hue,  and  blue  green 
is  the  name  given  to  the  set  of  hues  between  normal  blue 
and  normal  green. 

These  sets  of  tones  which  are  found  around  the  bi- 
nary colours  express  hues  of  colour.  It  will  be  seen 
then  that  hue  is  the  name  of  the  colour  itself,  or  that  it 
really  expresses  the  degree  of  so-called  heat  or  cold 
which  a  colour  has.  The  hues  of  colour  between  yellow 
and  purple,  including  all  greens  and  all  blues,  are  cool 
colours.     Those  between  yellow  and  purple,  including 


A.  \  HISTORIC  in  him  |\  nil:  STYLE  01  LOUIS  XVI, 
WHOSE  BACKGROUND  l->  \  PROPER  SETTING  FOR 
II  RNIT1  RE     \M)    DEI  OR  S.TIONS. 


15.       \    HISTORK      ROOM     IN     I  KENI  II     -Mil.     w  HOS1 

BA(  KGROI  Mi    is    I  \-i K)    I  i   i:  I  in  11    DECOR  \- 

i  p.  I     EFFECTS     IND   WIIOS1      IRH  wci.ui  \  i     DI8R1 

<•  MM'-  in  CORATIV1    LAW        WALL  PAP]  I;-  \i.' s 

t  -I  ii    is    MODERN    ROOMS   WITH    I  III.   SAM!     I 


THE  DECORATIVE  IDEA 

all  orange  and  red  colour  tones,  are  warm  colours.  It 
is  this  thai  gives  significance  to  the  expression  "temper- 
amental colour,"  one's  temperament  being  expressed 
by  the  hues  on  the  right  or  the  left  of  the  spectrum 
circuit. 

There  are  two  ways  in  which  one  should  see  the  tem- 
perament idea  in  its  relation  to  the  subject  Interior 
Decoration.  If  it  is  granted  that  certain  colour  tones 
produce,  consciously  and  unconsciously,  certain  impres- 
sions or  mental  states  in  individuals  living  under  their 
influence,  then  arises  the  question  whether  the  mental 
state  the  individual  enjoys  most  i>  the  mental  state  in 
which  he  ought  most  often  to  be.  For  instance,  I  may 
enjoy  being  thrilled  and  stirred,  warmed  and  excited, 
by  orange  or  red  in  their  combinations,  hut  it  may  be 
1  tetter  for  me  and  far  more  agreeable  for  my  associates 
if  1  am  surrounded  by  green  or  blue:  colours  exercising 
some  restraining  influence  upon  my  nature  instead  of 
catering  to  what  is  mosl  pleasing  to  me  in  the  way  of 
emotional  sensation. 

In  selecting  material  for  one's  self,  or  in  advising  any 
one  what  to  select,  it  is  always  wise  to  sense  as  nearly  as 
possible  the  psychological  condition  of  temperament 
before  attempting  to  control  or  augment  its  idiosyn- 
crasies by  environment. 

The  subjeel  of  hue  cannot  very  well  he  left  without 
referring  to  what  is  known  as  keying  a  colour,  or  the 
keying  of  a  scheme  of  colour  to  a  dominant  hue.  Much 
has  been  said  and  written  al.oul  this  dominant  hue 
keying.  It  simply  means  tlii-:  that  one  of  the  three 
elements  yellow,  red,  or  blue  must  he  introduced 
into  the  leading  areas  of  a  colour  scheme  in  such  a  way 

29 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

that  one  will  feel  its  presence,  although  the  colour  itself 
is  found  in  another  tone  in  the  spectrum  circuit. 

A  very  familiar  violation  of  the  rule  for  keying  colour 
is  found  in  the  use  of  a  definite  wall-paper  tone  with 
perhaps  a  natural-wood  or  ivory-white  trim,  a  hard- 
wood floor,  and  a  perfectly  white  kalsomined  ceiling. 
White  is  such  a  combination  of  the  primary  elements  of 
colour  that  no  one  colour  is  apparent.  It  is  saturated 
with  the  three  elements;  in  consequence,  no  one  domi- 
nates. Colours  show  more  strongly  on  it  than  on  any 
other  colour  or  on  black.  In  wThite,  there  being  no  ap- 
parent colour,  it  is  unrelated  and,  therefore,  cannot  be- 
come a  part  of  a  keyed  room  scheme  in  which  there  is  any 
floor  or  wall  colour.  If  the  wall  colour  is  a  soft  neutral- 
ized yellow  or  orange,  then  the  ceiling  must  be  keyed 
with  that  colour  in  a  lighter  tone,  so  that  you  feel  the 
ceiling  tied  with  an  apparent  colour  element  to  the  wall, 
of  which  it  is  really  a  part. 

What  is  true  of  the  ceiling  is  true  of  the  floor.  When 
the  floor  cannot  be  keyed  to  the  wall,  rugs  should  be  used 
in  which  the  dominating  tone  is  that  of  the  wall.  The 
rugs  must  be  keyed  to  the  wall  in  order  to  become  a 
part  of  it.  Of  course  there  are  times  when  the  rug  or 
rugs  play  in  the  key  of  the  trim  instead  of  the  wall 
paper,  but  in  the  simplest  arrangement  the  three  parts  of 
the  room — walls,  floors,  and  ceiling — should  be  keyed 
so  that  there  is  an  apparent  link  or  common  element. 

It  is  often  possible  to  key  furniture — which,  so  far 
as  the  wood  goes,  is  a  foreign  colour  tone — to  the  rest 
of  the  room  by  upholstery  in  which  the  dominating 
colour  is  strongly  keyed  to  the  wall  colour,  the  trim,  or 
the  floor.  Preferably,  key  to  the  wall  colour  because 
30 


THE  DECORATIVE  IDEA 

of  the  intimate  relationship  between  the  background  of 
a  room  and  the  accessory  objects  that  are  to  be  shown 
against  it.  This  is  essential  to  unity  of  colour,  and  is 
the  only  way  to  secure  an  expression  of  rest,  refinement 
and  repose. 

The  second  quality  a  colour  tone  possesses  is  called 
value.  This  quality  takes  its  name  from  the  position  a 
lime  holds  in  a  scale  of  even  sequence  between  black 
and  white.  It  relates,  therefore,  to  light,  and  is  per- 
fectly distinct  from  the  quality  of  colour  or  hue.  If  one 
thinks  of  a  graded  scale  from  black  to  white  in  which 
even  steps  of  grade  are  found  in  any  number,  a  standard 
of  judgment  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  word  value  is 
easily  fixed. 

For  example,  a  colour  tone  whose  light  quality  is  one- 
half  way  between  black  and  white  is  called  middle 
value.  In  a  scale  of  nine  tones,  one-half  way  between 
middle  and  white  is  called  light,  one-half  way  between 
light  and  middle  is  called  low  light,  and  one-half  way 
between  light  and  white  is  called  high  light.  In  the 
same  way,  one-half  way  between  middle  and  black  is 
dark,  while  one-half  way  between  middle  and  dark  is 
high  dark,  and  one-half  way  between  middle  and  black 
is  low  dark. 

These  values,  though  arbitrary,  are  equidistant  in 
light  quality  from  each  other,  and  standardize  the  value 
idea,  thereby  helping  one  to  disassociate  the  value  qual- 
ity from  the  hue  quality  previously  discussed.  It  is 
difficult  at  first  to  see  each  quality  as  a  separate  idea,  I  ml 
nnly  in  so  doing  is  one  able  to  understand  how  to 
select  and  arrange  colours  in  composition  so  that  each 
tone  serves  its  full  purpose  and  does  not  conflict  in 

31 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

any  one  quality  while  seeming  to  agree  in  the  other 

two. 

The  preeminent  importance  of  the  room  as  a  back- 
ground for  the  application  of  the  decorative  idea  cannot 
be  too  often  emphasized.  The  question  of  value  in 
relation  to  background  is  a  delicate  but  important  one. 
To  arrange  this  background  in  such  a  way  that  no  part 
of  it  becomes  too  important,  aggressive,  or  forceful  is 
the  problem,  and  a  right  choice  of  values  contributes 
more  toward  solving  it  successfully  than,  perhaps,  any 
one  quality  in  colour  choice. 

The  old  conviction  that  the  trim  must  stand  out  as 
distinctly  as  possible  from  the  wall  cover  is  antagonistic 
to  the  background  idea.  If  the  wall  cover  and  trim 
are  different  in  hue,  it  is  almost  necessary  that  their 
values  should  be  practically  the  same.  In  fact,  if  both 
hue  and  value  are  the  same,  the  result  is  not  only  more 
pleasing,  but  far  more  sensible  in  cases  where  the  trim  is 
painted  or  enamelled.  Where  a  natural-wood  trim  is 
involved,  it  is  sometimes  more  difficult  to  adjust  the 
question  of  hue;  but  if  there  is  a  hue  difference,  the  value 
difference  should  not  be  in  too  great  a  contrast,  as  it 
immediately  establishes  hard  and  inconsistent  lines. 
The  strong  appeal  of  these  lines  is  hard  to  neutralize 
by  decorative  treatment  without  causing  the  room  to 
become  crude  and  unrestful  in  its  final  quality. 

In  some  periods,  it  is  true,  ivory-white  woodwork 
and  a  middle-value  wall  colour  appear  with  mahogany 
furniture  and,  sometimes,  mahogany  doors.  This,  how- 
ever, is  a  condition  of  period  which  was  influenced 
somewhat  by  the  popularity  or  vogue  of  mahogany 
wood,  somewhat  by  the  unusual  idea  of  spick  and  span 
3<2 


3  i 


THE  DECORATIVE  IDEA 

cleanliness  which  the  Colonial  period  sought,  not  only 
to  establish,  but  to  promulgate,  and  somewhat  by  the 
desire  for  a  note  dark  enough  in  value  to  giw?  strength 
and  definite  form  to  the  side  wall,  in  order  that  it  should 
relate  itself  in  some  way  to  a  darker  floor  or,  perhaps, 
darker  rugs  and  carpets  and  furniture. 

We  derive  from  those  historic  periods  whose  styles  are 
most  adaptable  to  our  modern  conditions  the  law  of  a 
lighter  ceiling,  a  midway  side  wall  and  a  darker  floor. 

This  is  reasonable  and  sensible,  since  man  in  his 
natural  environment  has  lived  under  these  conditions 
when  outside  the  house.  If  one  looks  about  him  in  the 
country  he  finds  the  sky  lighter  than  (lie  far-away  hills, 
the  far-away  hills  lighter  in  value  than  the  shadow  under 
the  tree  where  he  stands.  This  is  taken  by  many  as  the 
fundamental  reason  why  the  room  feels  more  com- 
fortable when  the  value  relations  are  placed  in  this 
order. 

There  is  probably  still  another  reason  why  one  in- 
tuitively feels  these  relative  positions.  The  law  of 
gravitation,  pulling  or  attracting  always  toward  the 
centre  of  the  earth,  establishes  in  all  persons  a  feeling 
for  a  strong  base  on  which  to  rest  ami  upon  which  other 
objects  may  repose.  If  the  order  of  values  is  reversed, 
having  the  darkest  value  overhead,  one  cannot  help 
feeling  the  possibility  of  a  falling  ceiling  which  must 
result  in  a  crushed  and  crumbling  floor,  it  not  being 
dark  enough  to  support  the  falling  weight. 

When  the  floor — sometimes  a  hardwood  finish — is 
lighter  than  the  wall,  the  value  relations  may  be  ad- 
justed by  the  use  of  darker  rugs.  In  fact,  this  is  the 
only  way  to  give  the  proper  feeling  of  structure  and  resl 

S3 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

to  the  room  unit  when  it  is  completed.  This,  in  part, 
settles  the  value  relation  of  the  floor  to  the  walls  and 
ceiling.  Care  is  necessary,  however,  in  final  criticism, 
that  the  rugs  do  not  spot  or  badly  outline  themselves 
against  the  light  floor.  It  would  be  better  to  treat  the 
floor  in  such  a  way  that  the  rugs  do  not  become  an  ag- 
gressive addition.  It  is  the  place  of  a  rug  to  lie  incon- 
spicuously and  quietly  on  a  floor.  The  very  function 
of  the  floor,  the  fact  that  we  walk  on  it,  and  the  horizon- 
tal position  of  the  rug  itself  are  all  reasons  why  it  should 
be  modest,  eliminating  the  disposition  on  the  part  of 
the  individual  to  centre  his  interest  upon  a  place  where 
he  should  walk  and  place  his  feet  without  conscious 
calculation. 

The  value  idea  extends  to  something  more  than  back- 
grounds. It  is  a  quality  of  every  single  object  in  the 
decorating  and  furnishing  scheme.  The  hangings  are  a 
decorative  idea,  and  are  to  be  used,  as  suggested  in  a 
previous  chapter,  to  emphasize  and  beautify  the  struc- 
tural opening  with  which  they  are  associated.  The 
question  of  their  contrast  with  the  background  is  in 
each  case  a  new  one  but,  fundamentally,  they  should 
be  stronger  in  contrast  than  the  trim  with  the  wall 
cover  or  the  wall,  as  a  whole,  with  the  ceiling  or  floor. 
These  background  parts  are  to  be  seen  as  a  unit. 

The  hangings  constitute  the  first  decorative  idea  to  be 
considered  in  the  scheme  of  furnishing.  The  starched 
white  lace  curtains  of  half  a  century  ago — the  strongest 
possible  contrast  in  value  between  the  wall  and  them- 
selves— have  generally  disappeared  as  persons  of  refine- 
ment have  appreciated,  quite  intuitively  maybe,  that 
these  introduced  an  element  in  no  way  keyed  to  the  rest 
31 


THE  DECORATIVE  IDEA 

of  the  wall,  and  generally  in  no  way  possible,  since  they 
seemed  totally  unrelated  to  their  surroundings. 

If  the  trim  of  some  room  perchance  is  white,  the  ceil- 
ing white,  and  the  furniture  painted  white,  the  white 
lace  curtains  or  white  muslin  ones  are  a  part  of  the 
decorative  scheme.  Where  colour,  however,  in  hue  domi- 
nates the  decorative  scheme,  white  curtains  are  quite 
impossible. 

Rugs  are  probably  more  often  badly  related  in  values 
than  any  other  one  article  used  in  furnishing  a  house. 
The  epidemic  of  Oriental  rugs  has  been  so  severe  in  the 
last  twenty-five  years  that  the  term  ami  cost  have  be- 
come synonymous  with  the  idea  "effective  floor  cover- 
ing." The  floor  is,  as  previously  remarked,  covered  for 
comfort  and  to  make  it  more  beautiful  by  softening  the 
wood  appearance,  and  adding  texture. 

The  idea  of  comfort  and  luxury  in  sitting  or  walking 
has  brought  the  rug  into  universal  use.  Oriental  rugs 
were  not.  for  the  most  part,  produced  in  response  to  the 
need  which  has  just  been  mentioned.  Various  forms 
and  decorative  motifs  have  been  created,  some  for 
their  religious  significance,  some  as  family  symbols,  and 
others  out  of  totally  unrelated  art  expressions.  They 
have  been  woven  in  rug  forms  much  as  the  (Jot hie  spirit 
expressed  itself  in  tapestries,  the  Renaissance  in  carved 
wood  and  chiselled  stone,  or  New  England  Colonial 
architecture  in  bricks  and  white  marble.  The  min- 
iated and  confusing  medallion  and  shapes  of  that  sort 
mii-l  be  SO  closely  related  in  value  that  they  are  not 
only  inconspicuous  but  ahnosl  eliminated  before  the 
rug  bas  any  of  the  qualities  accessary  for  harmonizing 
it    with   the  floor  or  with  the  structural  characteristics 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

of  the  furniture  to  be  placed  upon  it.  This  is  partic- 
ularly evident  where  patterns  appear  on  backgrounds  of 
white,  light  yellow,  or  other  strong  values  that  make  the 
pattern  more  important  than  is  the  structural  edge  of 
the  rug  upon  the  floor. 

These  distracting  shapes  are  often  the  reason  for  an 
unrestful,  undignified,  and  inartistic  impression  one  has 
on  entering  even  the  most  luxurious  of  modern  houses. 
Since  the  floor  is  a  background,  since  chairs  must  be 
seen  upon  it,  as  well  as  people,  and  since  it  is  unimpor- 
tant as  a  show  place  when  compared  with  the  walls,  it 
must  be  as  inconspicuous  as  they  are  in  value  relations. 
This  rule  might  be  applied  to  each  article  in  the  room, 
but  perhaps  one  or  two  more  concrete  instances  may 
make  the  meaning  clearer. 

The  Italian  Renaissance  developed  probably  the  most 
dignified,  strong,  and  formal  chair  the  world  has  yet 
seen.  It  was  also,  in  proportion,  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful. Its  wood  was  dark  in  value  and  it  was  covered,  un- 
til the  decadent  period,  in  a  dark  red,  green,  or  blue  tone. 
This  value  differs  little,  if  any,  from  the  wood  itself,  but 
emphasizes  the  decorative  idea  by  change  of  hue  and 
intensity  only. 

There  was  a  time — and  the  fad  is  still  cherished  by 
some  people — when  pictures,  particularly  prints,  pho- 
tographs, and  engravings  were  matted  on  white.  When 
a  brown  photograph  is  mounted  on  white  and  a  dark 
brown  frame  is  placed  around  (which  should  always 
be  the  case),  the  strongest  contrast  is  found  where  the 
frame  and  mat  meet.  "Strongest  contrast"  means 
"strongest  desire  to  look."  Granting  that  the  picture 
is  the  thing  to  be  seen  and  that  the  strongest  contrast 
36 


THE  DECORATIVE  IDEA 

between  the  picture  and  its  adjacent  environment  would 
draw  the  attention  of  the  observer  to  it,  the  mat  is  not 
only  a  non-essential  bul  a  positive  hindrance  to  a  proper 
appreciation  of  the  picture  itself. 

Applications  of  this  idea  of  close  value  relationships 
where  things  should  be  unobtrusive  and  should  possess 
wider  value  contrasts,  where  the  desire  to  emphasize  is 
compatible  with  good  taste,  establish  a  standard  of  judg- 
ment or  criticism  which  any  person  may  use  on  any 
room  with  effective  results. 

The  third  colour  quality  IS  called  intensity.  This 
quality  takes  its  name  from  the  colour  itself,  and  relates 
to  its  vitality  or  individual  strength.  In  common  par- 
lance  we  speak  of  brilliant  colours  and  soft  ones,  some- 
times of  brilliant  and  pastel.  This  quality  is  the  one 
which  shows  how  much  vitality  or  personal  force  a 
colour  tone  possesses.  Full  intense  colours,  particu- 
larly those  spectrum  hues  which  have  been  discussed, 
express  in  the  strongest  way  the  idea  for  which  tiny 
>tand. 

For  example,  a  normal  blue,  which  is  blue  at  dark 
in  value,  is  at  its  fullest  intensity;  that  is,  it  is  as  force- 
ful a  blue  as  can  be  made.  If  I  make  it  lighter  I  weaken 
it  by  putting  white  or  water  into  il.  If  I  darken  it  I 
also  weaken  it ,  because  I  must  do  so  with  black,  it  being 
just  as  full  of  the  colour  itself  as  il  can  gel .  This  same 
thing  is  true  of  all  other  colour  hues  at  their  normal 
maturity  point. 

Black,  which  is  the  absence  of  colour,  should  he  un- 
derstood here  because  it  is  this  tone  which  absorbs  "cl- 
our when  it  is  brought  in  contact  with  it  as  a  surface. 
For  example,  colour  is  stronger  displayed  on  white  than 

37 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

it  is  on  black,  all  things  being  equal,  because  white  does 
not  absorb  and  black  does.  An  illustration  of  this  is 
seen  in  its  application  to  persons.  White,  worn  next 
the  face,  leaves  all  the  colour  the  individual  has  ap- 
parent to  an  observer.  Black  absorbs  or  extracts 
colour  and,  for  most  people,  is  impossible  when  in  con- 
tact or  close  juxtaposition  to  the  skin  of  the  face. 

It  is  essential  to  remember  this  in  the  treatment  of 
colour  in  relation  to  its  intensity  quality.  Pairs  of  col- 
ours, or  opposite  ones,  in  the  spectrum  circuit,  are  called 
complements.  One  colour  complements  another  because 
it  contains  always  the  two  other  elements  which  its  op- 
posite lacks.  For  example,  orange  is  made  of  equal 
forces  of  yellow  and  red.  Its  complement  is  normal 
blue. 

In  the  pigment  circuit  purple  is  the  union  of  equal 
forces  of  red  and  blue.  The  missing  element,  yellow, 
is  its  complement.  While  green  unites  in  equal  power 
yellow  and  blue,  the  missing  element  red  complements 
it. 

Since  yellow,  red,  and  blue  fused  in  equal  forces  pro- 
duce a  neutral  gray,  green  and  red  mixed  in  the  same 
way  also  produce  gray.  This  is  equally  true  of  orange 
and  blue,  of  purple  and  yellow,  and,  in  fact,  of  any  op- 
posite spectrum  hues,  such  as  yellow  orange  and  blue 
violet,  yellow  green  and  red  violet,  red  orange  and  blue 
green.  Each  of  these  pairs  neutralizes  the  other  and  is, 
therefore,  complementary  in  its  relationship. 

A  colour  is  neutralized  by  introducing  into  it  as  a  nor- 
mal colour  the  normal  complement.  In  proportion  as 
the  complement  enters  into  it,  it  loses  its  own  natural 
vital  force,  and  not  only  holds  itself  in  restraint,  but 
38 


TIIE  DECORATIVE  IDE.V 

takes  on  a  certain  proportion  of  the  qualities  of  the 
other  two  elements  which  have  been  introduced  into  it. 
The  result  is  a  colour  neutralized  by  its  complement. 
See  how  subtle  relationships  may  become  to  him  who 
understands  grayed  or  neutralized  colours. 

Green — a  union  of  light ,  cheer,  coolness, and  restraint, 
harmonized  and  modified  by  the  proper  amount  of  heat 
and  vigour — becomes  a  subtle  compound  of  the  essen- 
tial qualities  of  colour.  It  expresses  one's  idea  of  the 
dominant  position  of  each  in  the  individual  problem 
which  is  being  worked  out. 

Due  regard  to  this  matter  of  intensity  in  colour  and 
its  right  management  is  probably  the  most  effective 
means  by  which  one  may  use  ordinary  things,  so  that 
their  effect  shall  at  least  not  be  aggressive,  common- 
place, or  harmful. 

When  one-half  the  vitality  of  a  colour  has  been  de- 
stroyed by  its  complement  it  is  said  to  be  half  neutral- 
ized. It  then  has  one-half  itself  plus  one-fourth  each 
of  the  other  two  elements  of  colour.  Its  own  idea  or 
quality  is  still  dominant  and  it  controls  the  quality 
elements  of  the  other  two,  but  uses  them  to  soften  its 
own  appeal. 

Colour  tones  may  be  less  or  more  than  one-half  neu- 
tralized; in  fact,  there  may  be  as  many  tones  between  ;i 
normal  colour  and  a  perfect  gray  as  one's  eye  is  able  to 
distinguish,  and  no  more.  This  process  by  which  the 
colour  loses  its  self-force  by  the  introduction  of  its  com- 
plement is  called  the  process  of  neutralization. 

The  application  of  the  principle  of  intensity  to  the 
problem  of  the  house  is  the  same  as  the  application  of 
the  value  power,  except  that  its  relation  to  the  back- 

39 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

ground  is  even  more  important  than  in  the  case  of  any 
other  colour  quality. 

Full,  intense  colour  is  the  loudest,  strongest,  most 
forceful  appeal  of  the  idea  for  which  it  stands.  It 
should,  then,  be  reserved  for  the  few  things  which 
one  wishes  to  make  emphatic  in  any  scheme  of  colour 
composition.  If  the  vital  force  of  each  colour  tone  is 
expended  on  unnecessary  and  unimportant  things,  what 
shall  we  do  about  the  things  to  which  we  would  call 
particular  attention? 

In  music  special  stress  or  emphasis  of  tone  is  reserved 
for  those  chords  or  passages  which  must  be  brought 
home  to  the  hearer  with  particular  strength.  If  the  full 
power  of  an  orchestra  is  expended  on  introductory,  ex- 
planatory, and  non-essential  passages,  in  what  way  shall 
the  vital  ones  receive  particular  stress?  The  analogy  be- 
tween this  idea  and  the  human  voice  in  talking  is  easily 
grasped,  and  the  same  idea  should  be  seen  with  equal 
clearness  in  reference  to  the  intensity  emphasis  in 
colour  appeal  as  to  when  and  where  to  use  it  with 
effect. 

Applied  to  backgrounds  there  is  one  principle  that 
is  fundamental  and  final  in  any  field  of  expression. 
"Backgrounds  must  be  less  intense  in  colour  than  ob- 
jects which  are  to  be  effectively  shown  on  them." 

What  a  revelation  in  window  dressing  there  would 
be  if  persons  responsible  for  them  were  not  more  anxious 
to  show  an  inartistic  and  ugly  grained  or  highly  polished 
woodwork  than  they  were  the  modest  articles  dis- 
played upon  this  background !  Or  what  a  change  would 
be  seen  if  the  velvet  or  velour  drapery  backgrounds  of 
these  windows  were  not  of  a  colour  far  stronger  in  in- 
40 


THE  DECORATIVE  IDEA 

tensity  than  any  of  the  goods  the  shopkeeper  asks  the 
public  to  observe. 

The  room,  particularly  one  in  which  people  must  live, 
is  a  very  much  more  important  matter.  This  is  true 
not  only  because  of  the  qualities  which  the  background 
of  the  room  must  unite  but  also  because  decoration  of  any 
kind  or  descripl  ion  becomes  impossible  unless  conditions 
are  right  to  begin  with.  Then,  too,  the  room  exists  in  a 
house,  generally  speaking,  for  people  rather  than  for 
objects  of  furniture.  This  is  a  consideration  to  which 
very  few  give  sufficient  weight.  During  the  daytime 
and  evening,  in  varying  conditions  of  feeling,  appear- 
ance, and  dress,  one  musl  lie  seen  by  the  family  and  one's 
friends  must  lie  exploited  against  I  lie  background  of  the 
room. 

Take  a  soft  neutralized  tone  of  yellow,  green,  or  blue 
wall  paper,  and  upon  it  place  small  pieces,  oneat  a  time, 
of  the  most  intense  red,  blue,  green,  yellow,  purple,  and 
orange  silk  or  paper.  See  how  this  neutralized  back- 
ground makes  it  possible  for  each  small  piece  of  vital 
colour  to  do  its  full  work  as  the  expression  of  a  personal 
idea.  Take  small  pieces  of  the  same  colours,  a  little 
less  intense,  and  see  that  it  is  possible  for  each  of  these 
colours  lo  express  its  idea  while  the  background  does  not 
materially  interfere  with  it.  Conceive  one's  self  in  the 
place  of  these  pieces  of  silk  or  paper,  and  it  is  not  difficult 
to  imagine  that    the  result   would  In'  somewhat  similar. 

Reverse  this  process,  and  take  large  pieces  of  full, 
intense  colours  as  backgrounds,  and  upon  them  try  to 
show  small  pieces  of  very  neutralized  colour  tones.  It 
will  quickly  be  seen  that  these  colours  not  only  are  of  no 
merit  whatever,  as  colour,  hut  are  neutralized  or  de- 
ll 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

stroyed,  at  least  in  part,  by  the  ferocious  onslaught  of 
the  background  idea.  This  sweeps  on,  because  of  its 
intensity  and  area,  to  the  utter  destruction  of  every- 
thing with  which  it  comes  in  contact.  Furniture,  pic- 
tures, ornament,  and  persons  disappear  and  become  as 
nothing  when  compared  with  its  full  intensity. 

From  this  last  illustration  two  other  important 
lessons  may  be  drawn  as  to  the  areas  or  relative  areas  in 
which  intensities  may  appear  and  still  express  their  fun- 
damental ideas. 

The  neutralized  background  of  a  wall  with  a  half 
intense  or  even  more  intense  hanging  may  be  used  with 
a  small  lamp  shade,  or  bit  of  interesting  ornament,  or 
pottery,  of  a  full  intense  colour,  and  each  have  its  share 
of  importance.  The  larger  the  area,  under  ordinary 
conditions,  the  less  intense  a  colour  should  be  and 
conversely,  the  smaller  the  area  the  more  intense  a 
colour  may  be,  the  actual  degree  of  intensity,  of  course, 
depending  upon  the  amount  of  stress  or  emphasis  one  is 
willing  to  give  that  particular  thing. 

This  thought  would  be  incomplete  unless  a  caution 
were  given  in  regard  to  the  intensity  of  the  rug  or  parts 
of  it.  The  most  effective  rug  is  that  in  which  the  whole 
is  keyed  by  one  colour  with  all  others  subordinating 
themselves  to  this  keyed  idea.  If  this  is  not  possible, 
intensity  relations,  as  well  as  value  relations,  should  be 
so  close  that  no  one  part  of  the  rug  seems  unduly  im- 
portant. As  has  been  said,  no  part  of  the  floor  is  a 
picture  gallery  or  place  to  exploit  shapes,  forms,  or  col- 
ours at  the  expense  of  the  tone  unit  for  which  the  floor 
stands.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  any  part  of  the  rug  must 
be  intense,  the  law  of  intensity  as  to  areas  should 
42 


THE  DECORATIVE  IDEA 

certainly  be  observed  and  in  a  most  conservative 
manner. 

Let  the  interesting  and  vitally  decorative  spots  and 
lines  of  the  room  have  the  intense  colour  emphasis. 
Let  this  appear  also  in  single  objects,  and  the  third 
or  intensity  quality  of  colours  will  be  considered  in  away 
that  makes  this  quality  a  fundamental  force  in  interior 
decoration. 

A  knowledge  of  the  finalities  of  each  colour,  its  hue, 
tone,  value  and  intensity,  should  lead  to  a  conscious, 
sensible  application  of  that  knowledge  in  the  fields  that 
have  been  suggested.  This  leads  naturally  to  the  ques- 
tion of  harmony  in  colour,  which  is  essential  to  the  selec- 
tion and  arrangement  of  a  scheme  for  furnishing  a  room. 

By  harmony  is  meant  agreement  or  concord.  When 
there  is  perfect  agreement,  complete  harmony  results 
and  a  somewhat  monotonous  condition  is  felt.  In  mu- 
sic the  major  scale  is  the  simplest  expression  of  tonal 
relation.  A  composition  wholly  in  the  major  chord, 
without  any  introduction  of  the  so-called  accidental,  is 
simple,  somewhat  primitive  and,  to  most  people,  a  bit 
tiresome.  A  knowledge  of  the  right  time  and  the  right 
way  to  use  the  accidental,  or  the  unexpected  idea,  en- 
ables  one  to  add  the  charm  of  subtlety  and  to  increase 
t  he  interest. 

A  room  presents  an  admirable  opportunity  for  the 
working  out  of  this  idea.  The  novice,  or  even  the  ar- 
tist, should  know  the  law  and  be  able  to  obey  it  perfectly 
before  lie  may  break  it.  A  deviation  from  the  estab- 
lished form  in  any  expression  is  the  so-called  poet's  li- 
cense,  <>r  artist's  license,  granted  to  tin-  masters  of  the 
situation  and  not  to  the  rank  ami  file  of  the  uninformed. 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

It  is  essential  that  harmony  be  accepted,  not  only  as 
the  desirable  criterion,  but  also  as  the  basic  idea  for  all 
effective  composition.  Colour  harmony,  like  harmony 
in  sound,  is  based  upon  tonal  relationships.  There  are 
generally  conceded  to  be  two  kinds — those  of  likeness 
and  those  of  contrast  or  difference.  This  likeness  is 
sometimes  called  analogy  or  relationship  or  natural 
agreement.  It  may  be  illustrated  with  the  colour 
green,  which  is  a  union  of  yellow  and  blue  in  equal 
force.  Green  is,  therefore,  as  much  related  to  yellow  as 
to  blue,  and  is  one-half  related  to  each.  It  is,  therefore, 
somewhat  harmonious  with  each  from  the  outset. 

Blue  green  is  three  parts  blue  and  one  part  yel- 
low, thus  being  in  closer  harmony  with  blue  than  with 
yellow.  It  may  be  used  with  yellow  because  it  has  one 
part  at  least  in  common,  and  is  therefore  related  to  it, 
though  in  the  quality  of  harmony  it  is  not  so  closely  as- 
sociated. 

Yellow  green,  on  the  other  hand,  is  more  harmonious 
with  yellow  than  with  blue  because  of  its  component 
parts.  Yellow,  it  will  be  seen,  is  a  common  element  in 
yellow  green,  green,  and  blue  green.  Therefore,  these 
four  form  what  is  known  as  a  related  or  analogous  har- 
mony in  colour.  Any  two,  three,  or  the  whole  four 
selected  in  their  proper  values  with  right  intensity  rela- 
tions become  a  colour  harmony  of  the  first  kind  or  the 
likeness  type.  If  yellow  be  considered  with  yellow 
orange,  orange,  and  red  orange,  it  forms  a  family  rela- 
tionship in  which  two,  three,  or  four  tones  may  form  a 
group. 

Normal  yellow  and  normal  red,  or  normal  yellow  and 
normal  blue,  are  not  related  and  may,  therefore,  not  be 
44 


THE  DECORATIVE  IDEA. 

considered  together  in  any  one  of  these  groups.  Yet 
if  red  is  the  standard  colour  chosen,  red  orange,  orange, 
and  yellow  orange  are  each  related  to  it,  and  a  third 
analogous  family  is  seen.  If  blue,  blue  green,  green, 
and  yellow  green  are  chosen  a  fourth  group  appears. 

The  same  thing  is  true  in  the  consideration  of  purples. 
Blue,  blue  purple,  purple,  and  red  purple  form  a  group; 
red,  red  purple,  purple,  and  blue  purple  form  another 
group. 

This  method  of  producing  a  colour  harmony  is  the 
simplest  because  the  colour  tones  are  themselves  related 
in  their  inherent  makeup.  Even  if  two  or  more  of  them 
appear  in  quite  intense  tones,  a  concord  or  agreement  in 
natural  forces  makes  their  harmonizing  appeal'  simpler, 
although  it  is  in  reality  cruder,  and  it  is  generally  very 
temperamental  in  its  choice  and  use. 

If  one  intuitively  chooses  schemes  in  house  decoration 
in  which  blue,  blue  green,  green  and  yellow  green  dom- 
inate i!  is  apt  to  be  for  temperamental  or  climatic 
reasons,  or,  perchance,  because  of  too  much  lighl  in  the 
particular  locality  in  which  the  problem  is  worked  out. 
If  the  sofl  browns,  tans,  or  buffs  in  the  realm  of  red 
orange,  orange,  and  yellow  orange  arc  selected,  the  same 
conditions  of  temperament  or  location  probably  in- 
fluenced their  choice. 

The  introduction  of  the  complementary  colour  would 
necessarily  bring  in  the  three  or  four  dements  of  colour 
possibility.  The  analogous  scheme  never  presents 
this  chance.  With  the  analogous  scheme,  however,  it 
i^  po.-oiUe  to  introduce  complementary  small  notes  or 
areas  which  may  be  called  the  accidentals  in  the  estab- 
lished colour  scheme. 

Ml 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

The  second  phase  of  colour  harmony  is  known  as  com- 
plementary, this  being  harmony  of  contrast.  Full  in- 
tense complements  are  dissimilar  in  every  particular. 
No  part  of  yellow  or  its  qualities  is  found  in  purple,  no 
quality  of  blue  in  orange,  nor  of  red  in  green.  As  full 
intense  normal  colours  these  are  totally  unrelated  and 
are  the  most  inharmonious  possible  colour  tones  when 
used  next  to  each  other  without  any  separation  by  a 
neutral  tone.  Nothing  can  be  cruder,  harsher,  or  more 
commonplace  than  a  rug  in  red  and  green.  With  these 
colour  tones  in  juxtaposition  it  is  impossible  for  the  eye 
to  accept  the  resulting  condition,  and  every  one  knows 
the  vibration  or  blurred  effect  produced  by  an  attempt 
to  accommodate  the  eye  to  such  a  colour  combination. 

The  same  is  true  of  orange  and  blue  and  purple  and 
yellow,  though,  perhaps,  in  a  somewhat  lesser  degree 
because  of  the  luminosity  quality  of  colour  which  is  to 
be  considered  later. 

Neutralization,  or  the  use  of  neutralized  colour  tones 
in  complements,  is  the  method  by  which  harmony  is 
obtained.  One-half  neutral  green  and  one-half  neutral 
red  are  harmonious  because  each  has  introduced  into  it 
one-half  of  the  other  colour  qualities  of  the  spectrum. 
The  one-half  neutral  colours  may  be  supplemented  with 
other  tones  of  the  same  colours,  more  or  less  neutralized, 
and  the  harmony  remains.  It  is  a  question  of  the  de- 
gree of  inter-relationships  in  the  number  of  tones  used, 
their  relative  areas,  and  the  juxtaposition  of  tones  ap- 
pearing in  the  composition.  Full  intense  colours  should 
not  be  brought  near  each  other.  The  less  intense  are 
more  harmonious  when  closely  associated.  Those  still 
less  intense  are  the  best  backgrounds  for  the  exploitation 


THE  DECORATIVE  IDEA 

of  the  more  intense  ones.  The  small  areas  of  intense 
colour  show  best  and  are  strongest  in  their  emphasis 
against  the  more  neutralized  ones  of  the  complementary 
colour. 

Concrete  instances  of  the  application  of  the  comple- 
mentary scheme  to  specific  rooms  will  he  given  during 
the  discussion  of  such  rooms  in  later  chapters.  As  a 
working  basis,  however,  it  is  essential  to  know  the  terms 
employed,  and  to  recognize  the  use  and  misuse  of  these 
fundamental  methods  of  creating  colour  harmonies. 

A  third  type,  still  under  the  head  of  harmony  of 
contrast,  is  called  the  triad  scheme.  This  scheme  in- 
volves the  choice  and  use  of  three  colour  tones  selected 
from  the  spectrum  based  on  I  he  equilateral  triangle 
and  it  requires  an  intricate  knowledge  of  neutralizal  ion, 
localization  of  areas,  and  emphasis  distribution.  It  is  a 
scheme  too  difficult  to  explain  clearly  in  this  fundamen- 
tal treatment  of  colour.  The  two  types  of  harmony 
first  discussed  are  those  most  generally  in  use  and  are 
sufficient  for  all  ordinary  problems  if  understood  and 
applied. 

All  are  not  alike  sensitive  to  colour  appeal.  Each 
one  of  us  differs  from  all  others  in  how  much  or 
what  will  give  us  just  sufficient  stimulation.  It  is  a 
constant  source  of  psychological  interest  to  adjust  to 
each  person's  taste  and  needs  I  he  colours  used.  This 
is  an  individual  problem  and  can  be  solved  successfully 
only  when  the  decorator  sees  first  the  person  whose 
tastes  and  needs  are  to  be  consulted.  The  question  of 
materials  musl  next  be  considered,  and  then  the  decora- 
tor must  bring  into  use  all  bis  knowledge  of  colour 
forces.     In  this  way  he  will  arrive  at   the  best  result. 

V) 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

both  as  regards  the  pleasure  and  comfort  of  his  client 
and  the  further  growth  of  his  own  colour  appreciation. 

There  is  still  one  element  of  power  which  a  colour 
tone  possesses  that  it  may  be  well  to  consider  at  this 
point.  By  the  arrangement  of  the  spectrum  circuit, 
yellow,  being  the  nearest  to  light  or  white,  is  the  lightest 
normal  colour  in  value.  It  is  the  first  colour  tone  in 
sequence  of  values  running  from  yellow  to  green,  blue 
and  purple  on  one  side,  and  from  yellow,  orange  and  red 
to  purple  on  the  other. 

Purple  is  the  darkest  in  value  of  the  normal  colour 
tones  and  the  nearest  to  black.  Black,  being  the  ab- 
sence of  light  and  the  absence  of  colour,  is  darkness, 
while  purple  approaches  this  blackness  more  nearly  than 
any  other. 

Light  is  the  opposite  element  of  darkness  or  shadow; 
therefore,  yellow  contains  the  greatest  lighting  power 
of  any  normal  spectrum  colour.  While  orange  and 
green  are  of  the  same  value  in  the  spectrum  circuit, 
orange  has  a  greater  lighting  power  because  of  the  in- 
troduction of  red,  which  is  a  greater  light  producer  than 
blue. 

The  order,  then,  of  this  light-giving  quality,  which  I 
shall  call  luminosity,  may  be  stated  as  follows:  yellow, 
orange,  green,  red,  blue,  and  purple. 

The  luminosity  of  a  colour  is  worthy  of  consideration 
in  interior  decoration  where  the  amount  of  light  which 
the  room  receives  is  a  matter  for  conservation.  This 
would  also  be  important  when  a  light  room  is  so  glaringly 
bright  that  it  is  impossible  to  obtain  desired  results  in 
colour  keying. 

At  the  normal  maturity  point  the  relative  luminosity 
48 


, 


THE  DECORATIVE  IDEA 

of  colours  run-;  approximately  as  follows:  yellow  K>; 
orange  f);  green  7;  red  5;  blue  ."<;  and  purple  1.  While 
these  numbers  are  nol  exact,  they  are  near  enough  for 
practical  purposes  in  determining  whal  effect  luminosity 
has  on  the  choice  of  colour. 

Artificial  light,  shining  through  a  yellow  shade  lined 
witli  while,  has  a  much  more  penetrating  and  far-reach- 
ing effect  than  I  lie  same  light  shining  through  a  green 
shade  lined  with  white,  the  textures  of  the  material 
being  the  same.  If  blue  or  purple  were  used,  the  light- 
ing effect  would  be  greatly  lessened,  in  fact  it  would  be 
in  the  above  mentioned  ratio,  were  the  colours  of  nor- 
mal hue  and  intensity.  If  purple  is  used,  particularly 
blue  purple,  with  artificial  light,  representing  nearly  a 
yellow  orange,  the  light  not  only  fails  to  do  its  work 
as  an  illuminating  agent,  hut  it  becomes  neutralized, 
grayed,  softened  and  destroyed. 

Any  one  interested  in  seeing  results  of  this  quality 
power  should  experiment  with  different  full  intense 
colours  ami  the  same  light,  noticing  the  effect  of  each 
upon  adjacent  objects  in  the  room.  It  must  also  he 
observed  that  the  quality  of  the  light  filtered  through 
these  different  colour  tones  is  changed  or  modified 
greatly  in  hue  and  value,  and  also  frequently  in  in- 
tensity, thereby  creating  a  new  light  which  will  in  turn 
modify  the  colours  of  all  objects  upon  which  it  shines. 

Far  too  little  care  is  given  to  the  selection  and  use  of 
colour  as  it  is  affected  by  lighting. 

A  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  relationship,  result- 
ing from  a  study  of  hue,  value  and  intensity  is  the  key 
to  a  right  choice  of  colour  schemes.  If  will  insure  the 
production  of  any  colour  effect  desired. 

19 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

The  danger  of  upsetting  completely  the  room  scheme 
by  the  use  of  the  wrong  colour  in  a  lamp  shade,  the 
wrong  window  hangings,  or  any  other  thing  through 
which  light  is  filtered,  is  increased  tenfold  when  the 
background  is  too  intense  in  colour.  Remember  that  the 
background  of  a  room  must  be  less  intense  than  the  ob- 
jects which  are  to  appear  against  it,  or  the  objects 
themselves  lose  their  force  as  decorative  things. 

It  is  well  probably  to  notice  here  a  reason  for  the  one 
striking  difference  between  a  warm  and  cold  background 
in  its  general  colour  effect. 

All  good  decorators  and  artistic  people  in  general 
know  that  there  is  a  pleasanter  general  aspect  in  a  room 
where  the  background  is  keyed  to  yellow  or  orange 
rather  than  to  green  or  blue;  that  is  if  the  background  is 
gray,  or  so  nearly  so  that  it  seems  to  be  gray.  It  is 
difficult  if  the  gray  is  a  blue  gray,  or  in  other  words  a 
neutralized  blue,  to  get  between  the  objects  of  furniture 
and  the  room  a  general  effect  of  colours  keyed  together. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  the  gray  is  a  yellow  gray  or  orange 
gray,  be  it  never  so  nearly  neutral,  there  seems  to  be  in 
this  colour  itself  an  invitation  to  furnishing  objects  to 
become  a  part  of  the  general  scheme  of  colour. 

This  is  due  to  two  facts:  first,  all  wood  naturally 
falls  into  the  warm  side  of  the  spectrum,  highly  neutral- 
ized. Floors  are  usually  treated  in  warm  colour,  and 
often  many  of  the  other  decorative  colours  in  the  room 
are  on  the  warm  side  of  the  spectrum.  This  establishes 
a  common  element  or  a  relationship  which  at  once  in- 
vites harmony.  If  into  such  a  room  blues  or  greens  are 
introduced,  it  is  usually  in  upholstery,  hangings,  rugs, 
or  other  decorative  features,  and  one  can  afford  to  em- 
60 


THE  DECORATIVE  IDEA 

phasize  the  decorative  feature  by  exactly  that  contrast, 
while  the  constructive  features  would  outline  in  an  ugly 
maimer  against  the  background  if  the  same  contrast 
were  introduced  in  their  case. 

Another  reason  why  the  warm  tones  are  in  general 
more  satisfactory  is  that  the  kind  of  reflected  light  which 
they  radiate  as  natural  light,  which  is  very  often  cool, 
cold,  and  forbidding,  is  reflected  from  them.  It  also 
simplifies  keying  with  shades  when  artificial  lighting  is 
required. 

This  explanation  will  make  it  easier  for  any  one  who 
feels  the  lack  of  relationship  existing  between  furnish- 
ings and  background  l<»  select  or  treat  backgrounds  in 
such  a  way  that  the  furnishings  of  the  room  are  more 
harmonious.  They  may  thus  without  effort  be  drawn 
into  the  general  scheme  of  unity  in  colour  which  every 
good  room  musl  express. 

i  here  is  one  other  aspect  of  colour  that  we  must  touch 
upon  here  so  that  the  thought  of  colour  as  it  relates  to 
the  decorative  idea  may  be  more  nearly  complete.  If, 
however,  each  subject  were  explained  and  illustrated  in  a  II 
its  possible  phases,  it  would  require  a  separate  volume. 

History  is  a  record  of  the  lives  or  activities  of  peoples 
of  an  earlier  time  and  of  the  civilization  they  have 
evolved.  It  is  expressed  in  literature,  music,  architec- 
ture, sculpture,  furniture,  textiles,  and  also  in  the  le^-n- 
crafts.  Its  art  expression  lias  been  unlike  in  different 
i  ras,  and  quite  dissimilar  in  the  case  of  diverse  nations, 
while  individuals  of  the  same  nation  have  frequently 
shown  distind  variations. 

Perhaps  the  national  feeling  for  a  type  of  expression 
may  be  a-  easily  seen  in  colour  as  in  any  form  of  expres- 

.-.I 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

sion.  How  this  national  preference,  when  acting  with 
other  concrete  forces,  has  produced  periods  in  art  and 
historical  or  decorative  styles,  is  a  matter  for  later  con- 
sideration. Now,  however,  it  is  pertinent  to  see  some- 
thing of  the  way  colour  has  expressed  the  standardized 
quality  of  feeling  which  a  nation  possessed  at  the  time 
the  period  form  was  crystallized. 

The  people  of  the  Spanish  Peninsula  have  for  many 
centuries  been  quite  unmixed,  since  the  Moorish  in- 
vasion, with  races  of  different  blood.  Different  ideals 
and  customs,  native  instincts,  climatic  conditions,  par- 
tial isolation  and  the  religious  and  social  practices  of 
these  people  have  all  tended  to  establish  and  maintain 
certain  unbroken  traditions  in  all  forms  of  expression. 
The  result  of  traditional  living,  inherited  and  pro- 
moted by  environment,  tends  to  establish  a  national 
temperament.  We  all  recognize  the  extreme  fond- 
ness of  such  races  for  intense  colours  and  almost 
always  colours  on  the  warm  side  of  the  spectrum  cir- 
cuit. The  use  of  yellow,  red,  and  orange  to  excite  the 
already  infuriated  bull  is  one  of  the  visible  manifesta- 
tions of  the  conscious  knowledge  on  the  part  of  the 
people  of  the  effect  on  the  animal  instinct  of  these  warm 
colour  combinations.  Colour  is  a  stimulant  to  the 
aesthetic  sense.  It  is  certain  that  this  race  of  people 
is  stimulated  by  these  colours  more  than  by  cold  colours; 
hence  the  choice  of  red,  yellow,  gold,  orange,  etc.,  in 
so  much  of  the  art  expression  of  their  period  styles. 

The  natives  of  Italy  are  a  far  less  homogeneous 
people.  Southern  Italy — so  thoroughly  Greek  at  times 
as  to  be  almost  a  part  of  Greece  itself,  and  influenced 
always  by  the  Orient  and  the  African  Barbary  states 


mm 


ggg 


<  «  a 

s  2  ss 

-  - 

-  -  - 

I  5  = 


~  z  < 
<  w  s 

is  9  - 


-  i  - 


o  2  3 


3  =  £-^ 

=  H  _  -   - 

ggesg 

- <  - ' 


TTIi:  DECORATIVE  IDEA 

— has  the  Oriental  colour  ideas  prevailing  in  its  earlier 
art  expressions  as  well  as  in  its  colour  choice  of  to-day. 
Northern  Italy,  on  the  contrary,  less  influenced  by  the 
Greek  and  the  Orient,  less  mixed  in  blood  with  those 

countries,  more  open  always  to  invasion  from  the  north, 
and  more  blended  and  involved  with  the  Teutonic 
idea,  has  developed  a  love  for  cooler  colours.  It  per- 
haps exhibits  a  wider  range,  or  at  least  a  more  refilled 
conception  of  relationships  in  values  and  intensities. 

French  consciousness  combines  the  colour  prefer- 
ences of  more  peoples,  gathered  from  a  broader  range 
of  area,  and  a  wider  -cope  in  kind.  There  is  also  a 
native  tendency  to  amalgamate  these  in  a  greater  de- 
gree than  among  any  other  living  people.  Fiance. 
always  susceptible  to  new  forms  of  expressing  the 
aesthetic  idea,  gave  birth  to  and  developed  Gothic 
thought,  accepted  and  digested  the  Italian  Renaissance, 
and  developed  its  own  distinct  period  styles.  It  de- 
stroyed  the  monarchic  expression  of  those  styles  and 
built  a  new  republic  which  has  inexhaustible  mines  of 
art  wealth  accumulated  since  the  tenth  century  to  draw 
upon  as  an  adequate  means  of  expressing  modern  ideas. 

This  explains  why  the  French  have  long  been  supreme 
in  the  realm  of  the  fine  arts  as  well  as  in  the  applied  or 
practical  arts  of  life.  They  are  adepts  in  the  solution 
of  problems  of  artistic  expression  in  furnishings,  cloth- 
ing, and  the  Use  of  accessory  objects. 

The  qualities  of  the  English  are  so  at  variance  with 
the  French  that  but  to  mention  their  character  and 
their  ideals  produces  in  the  mind  quite  a  different 
conception.  One  is  reminded  at  once  of  those  qualities 
that  have  made  the  English  styles  less  flippant,  less 

5a 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

changeable,  less  erratic  in  value  change,  more  general 
in  hue  appreciation  and  more  sombre  in  intensity  re- 
lation than  those  of  any  of  the  other  nations  that  we 
have  mentioned. 

In  like  manner,  it  would  be  simple  enough  to  see 
why  the  Netherlands,  Flanders,  Germany,  or  any  other 
country  has  developed  a  special  liking  for  or  tendency 
to  the  use  of  some  particular  gamut  of  colour.  The 
reason  for  the  choice  is  always  found  in  the  quality  of 
the  consciousness  of  the  people  who  are  to  use  colour. 

One  instinctively  selects  that  symbol  in  any  field 
which  most  clearly  illustrates  or  describes  the  idea  which 
he  wishes  to  convey.  If  a  highly  neutralized  colour  is 
more  restful  than  a  more  intense  one,  and  I  desire  rest, 
when  intense  colours  and  neutralized  ones  are  before 
me,  I  instinctively  select  the  neutralized  one.  It  is,  of 
course,  implied  that  I  realize  the  force  of  the  symbol. 

If  light,  bright  blues,  pinks,  and  yellows  express 
anything,  they  express  light-hearted,  youthful,  rather 
flippant  and  old-fashioned  feminine  attributes.  When 
a  man  looks  about  for  a  colour  scheme  for  his  library, 
den,  or  sleeping-room,  he  instinctively  leaves  such  things 
alone.  They  do  not  express  his  qualities,  nor  those 
with  which  he  desires  to  concern  himself  when  he  wishes 
to  concentrate  on  his  work,  or  to  sleep  and  rest. 

We,  the  people  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
are  the  most  conglomerate  of  all  peoples.  We  have, 
without  having  had  time  to  amalgamate  the  char- 
acteristics of  any  people,  received  all  peoples  with  open 
arms,  until  we  are  a  nation  one  hundred  million  strong 
and  represent  nearly  every  form  and  grade  of  civiliza- 
tion.    Naturally  we  are  a  people  of  many  minds,  many 


THE  DECORATIVE  1 1  HA 

ideas,  with  distinctively  individual  and  peculiar  quali- 
ties, striving  to  be  a  nation.  Our  national  colour  ex- 
pression can  be  nothing  short  of  every  colour  available. 
We  do  not  limit  ourselves  in  any  other  field.  We  can- 
not limit  ourselves  in  the  range  of  colours  used. 

Because  this  is  true,  it  is  of  the  greatest  importance 
that  we  seek  to  understand  from  every  possible  source 
what  qualities  may  be  expressed  by  different  combina- 
tions, and  learn  to  use  those  combinations  to  express 
individual  ideas  in  moderation  and  with  discretion. 

But  even  this  is  not  the  most  important  thing  to 
know.  A  people  is  mentally — and  thai  means  morally, 
intellectually,  and  ethically— made  up  <>f  its  inherited 
tendencies  and  whatever  is  taken  into  consciousness 
through  the  five  senses.  Environment  is  a  mighty 
factor  in  the  development  <>f  a  people  whose  aesthetic 
sense  is  commensurate  with  (lie  task  before  them  of 
maintaining  a  commercial  relationship  which  is  thrust 
upon  them  by  the  very  nature  of  their  existence.  No1 
only  must  we  have  the  aesthetic  quality  in  order  that  it 
may  appear  in  our  products,  but  we  demand  this  quality 
as  a  natural  means  of  refinement  and  culture.  Its  fund  ion 
is  to  satisfy  the  inherent  desire  for  beauty  which  nature 
has  decreed  shall  be  a  part  of  man's  general  makeup. 

To  historic  periods,  then,  we  musl  turn  not  only  to 
know  their  structural  forms,  their  decorative  ideas,  and 
their  finished  art  objects,  but  to  understand  their  colour 
as  scientifically,  logically  and  sensibly  as  we  know  their 
Other  forms  of  expression.  To  express  I  he  Tudor  period 
in  the  colours  of  Louis  XVI  is  as  impossible  a  task  as  it 
would  be  for  Queen  Elizabeth  to  impersonate  Marie 
Antoinette. 

55 


PART  I  CHAPTER  II 

THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  FORM  AND  THEIR 
RELATION     TO     THE     DECORATIVE     IDEA 

THE  term  "design"  has  generally  meant  the  choice  and 
arrangement  of  certain  shapes  or  forms  to  produce  a 
decorative  effect.  It  should  include  not  only  form  but 
colour,  or  rather  colour  and  form,  for  without  colour 
there  is  no  form. 

If  all  objects  were  exactly  the  same  colour  tone  it 
would  be  impossible  to  see  where  one  object  left  off  and 
the  other  began.  In  fact,  there  would  be  no  shapes  or 
forms  to  discuss.  The  greater  the  colour  contrast 
in  hue,  value,  or  intensity,  or  any  two  or  three  of  these 
qualities,  the  more  clearly  defined  is  the  form  arrange- 
ment which  these  objects  produce. 

The  real  recognition  of  form  is  a  mental  process, 
and  it  is  sufficient  to  remark  here  that  this  is  a  compar- 
ison of  previously  acquired  ideas.  Form  is  not  quickly 
perceived  through  the  sense  of  sight  like  colour. 
This  makes  the  study  of  form  more  involved  and 
perhaps,  in  many  cases,  less  easily  understood  at 
first. 

Design  or  composition  includes,  then,  the  choice  and 
arrangement  of  colours,  forms  and  lines  with  a  unit  as 
the  desired  result.  This  unit  may  be  the  exterior  of  a 
huge  cathedral,  the  interior  of  any  room,  the  individual 


THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  FORM 

unit  used  in  any  one  of  these,  or  whatever  in  itself  ex- 
presses the  unit  idea. 

As  has  already  been  noted,  the  structure  is  the 
fundamental  reason  for  all  decorated  things.  The 
build  or  structure  determines  the  form.  The  form,  then, 
conversely,  is  the  result  of  structural  lines  of  certain 
kinds  used  in  certain  combinations  to  represent  in- 
dividual ideas.  When  we  realize  that  everything  de- 
pends upon  the  structural  idea  it  is  much  easier  to  see 
relationships  between  shapes  or  forms  in  furnishing 
construction  and  the  room  in  which  they  are  to  be  used, 
than  if  we  see  parts  of  furnishing  objects  or  colours  or 
decorations  only. 

An  Italian  chair  of  the  early  fifteenth  century  is 
built  on  horizontal  and  vertical  lines.  Its  construc- 
tion is  rectangular  and  for  its  beauty  it  depends  upon 
its  simplicity,  its  exquisite  proportion,  and  its  consistent 
decorative  additions.  In  no  field  of  chair  construction 
has  there  been  a  result  so  dignified,  formal,  stable, 
consistent,  sincere,  and  architecturally  connected  will: 
the  house  as  this  beautiful  expression  of  the  early 
Italian  Renaissance.  The  very  lines  or  structure  of 
this  chair  repeal  the  lines  of  room  construction. 

The  same  fine  feeling  for  proportion,  structural  like- 
ness, simplicity  and  consistency  is  found  in  the  cabinets, 
tables, and  other  objects  of  furniture  during  this  period 
of  expression.  With  objects  like  these  it  is  easy  enough 
to  recognize  an  element  harmonizing  with  the  struc- 
ture of  a  room,  il  3  side  walls,  its  floor  and  its  ceiling. 

On  the  other  hand,  with  furniture  of  the  period  of 
Louis  XV  in  France,  where  the  boundary  of  every 
structural  part  is  a  curved  line  of  the  most  subtle  char- 

57 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

acter,  it  is  far  more  difficult  to  establish  relations  of 
harmony  between  it  and  the  constructive  lines  of  a 
modern  house.  It  is  the  character,  or  kind  of  line 
which  bounds  these  forms,  that  I  ask  you  to  notice 
particularly  now. 

Very  often  textiles,  wall  covers  and  other  objects 
present  exactly  the  same  difficulty.  A  chair  is  to 
become  a  decorative  motif  in  a  room  as  a  background, 
or  a  piece  of  ornament  is  to  become  a  decorative  motif 
on  a  textile  rug  or  article  of  furniture.  Either  by  plac- 
ing or  by  its  structural  lines  it  must  harmonize  with 
the  room,  with  the  articles  of  furniture,  and  with  the 
textile  or  other  object  upon  which  it  is  to  appear  as  a 
decorative  unit.  Often  harmonious  motifs  are  wholly 
unrelated  to  the  object  upon  which  they  are  placed,  and 
become  glaringly  undecorative  because  their  entire  line 
or  form  effect  has  no  common  harmonizing  elemental 
line  in  concord  with  the  article  which  it  purports  to 
decorate. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  structure  is  the  reason  for  the 
decoration,  that  the  decoration  must  conform  to  the 
structure,  and  that  there  must  be  a  common  element  of 
harmony  between  the  original  form  and  the  decorative 
object  used  with  it. 

The  first  principle  of  form  I  shall  call  consistent  struc- 
tural unity.  The  facade  of  a  house  is  an  excellent 
example  for  structural  and  decorative  study.  The  verti- 
cal and  horizontal  lines  bounding  it  at  least  on  two  of 
these  sides  are  emphasized,  supported  and  strengthened 
by  cornices.  There  is  a  change  in  treatment  at  the 
edges,  brought  about  by  the  introduction  of  doors  and 
windows  whose  structures  are  in  harmony  with  that  of 
38 


THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  FORM 

the  side  of  the  house,  and  sometimes  with  other  objects 
related  in  the  same  way. 

Xot  only,  however,  are  these  objects  related  by  their 
general  form  to  the  house,  of  which  they  are  a  part,  but 
they  are,  if  pleasing,  so  placed,  when  seen  in  groups, 
that  their  bounding  lines  are  horizontal  and  vertical. 
When  this  form  does  not  obtain  for  example,  if  then- 
is  one  window,  then  another,  and  then  another  lower 
still — there  is  a  feeling  of  incongruity  and  unpleasant- 
ness arising  from  an  arrangement  which  does  not  har- 
monize with  the  general  structure  form  of  the  facade. 

Brought  into  the  house  the  application  of  these 
principles  is  legion.  Most  persons  see  and  feel  quickly 
the  violation  of  such  a  rule  on  the  outside,  but  fail  ut- 
terly to  grasp  the  need  of  the  same  relationship  on  the 
inside. 

Let  us  take  first  the  floor  of  the  room.  This  is  an 
oblong  or  a  square,  infrequently  modified  by  a  curved 
window  or  some  other  curved  line  of  unnatural  growl  h. 
This  establishes  something  of  the  line  of  the  furniture, 
l.ut  something  still  more  of  the  arrangement  of  this  fur- 
niture as  to  its  place  on  the  floor. 

Now  let  us  consider  the  rug.  A  common  error  is  to 
throw  the  rug  particularly  if  there  are  several  in  the 
room — upon  the  floor  in  an  oblique  or  cat-a-cornered  posi- 
tion so  that  no  line  boundary  of  the  rug  is  parallel  to  or 
in  harmony  with  the  bounding  lines  of  the  floor.  This 
immediately  establishes  a  new  decorative  idea,  built  on 
lop  of  the  original  one.  Chairs,  tables,  divans  and  other 
furniture  musl  be  placed  cither  with  the  structural  sug- 
gestion of  the  rugs,  or  with  the  original  structural  ar- 
rangemenl  of  the  room.     Both  lines  cannot  be  followed. 

50 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

One  must  dominate.  The  only  sensible  thing  is  to 
place  the  rugs  in  harmony  with  the  structure  of  the 
floor;  then  let  the  tables,  divans,  chairs,  cabinets  and 
other  articles  of  furniture  be  placed  in  the  same  hori- 
zontal and  vertical  structural  relationship. 

This  does  not  mean  that  every  article  of  furniture  has 
to  rest  against  the  wall  of  the  room,  flat  and  straight. 
It  means  that  many  times  the  furniture  had  better  so 
repose.  For  example,  instead  of  placing  the  upright 
piano  or  the  dresser  across  the  corner  of  the  room,  find 
a  place  on  the  wall  where  it  belongs  and  place  it  there, 
structurally,  as  if  it  were  a  part  of  the  establishment. 
It  then  becomes  a  decorative  feature. 

Often  a  long  table  is  best,  as  will  appear  in  a  later 
chapter,  when  its  end  touches  the  wall  and  its  length 
projects  into  the  room.  On  one  side  a  divan  may  be 
placed,  its  back  against  the  table.  This  conforms  to  the 
structural  lines  of  the  room,  horizontal  and  vertical,  and 
at  the  same  time  is  perfectly  practical. 

Chairs — particularly  straight-line  chairs — when  not 
against  the  wall  may  be  placed  parallel  with  tables,  and 
grouped  in  such  a  way  that  their  general  structure  lines 
are  parallel  with  the  original  horizontal  and  vertical 
lines  of  the  room.  It  is  this  matter  of  grouping  wisely 
that  makes  a  room  effective  so  far  as  the  form  relations 
in  the  furniture  are  concerned. 

This  does  not,  by  any  means,  imply  that  every  article 
of  furniture  must  be  at  right  angles  with  the  lines  of  the 
room  and  with  each  other.  It  means  that  the  domi- 
nating furnishings  of  a  room  must  be  so  related,  or  the 
principle  of  the  room  as  a  structural  unit  is  violated. 
When  this  happens  the  foundation  is  laid  for  unrest, 


THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  FORM 

pandemonium  and  an  ultimate  destruction  of  every- 
thing pleasant  in  the  way  of  a  decorative  thought. 

Chairs  are  often  placed  near  other  chairs  or  a  divan, 
for  purposes  of  conversation,  or  these  arc  grouped  near 
a  light  in  order  to  make  work  possible  as  well  as  reading 
or  writing.  These  deviations  from  structural  unity  are, 
however,  made  for  a  reason.  It  is  because  of  some  need 
that  they  exisi  and  not  because  the  arrangement  is 
more  "homey  and  cozy." 

If  everything  is  properly  distributed  on  the  floor  it 
helps  greatly  in  the  treatment  of  the  wall.  The  verti- 
cal lines  of  the  wall  when  seen  with  the  horizontal  lines 
of  the  floor  form  a  new  problem  of  arrangement.  The 
walls,  too,  are  more  nearly  opposite  the  eye  level  when 
sitting  or  standing  and,  therefore,  require  even  a  stricter 
adherence  to  the  principle  of  structural  unity  than  does 
the  floor. 

Even  if  each  art  icle  of  furniture  is  properly  placed,  one 
must  he  careful  to  see  thai  its  contour  or  bounding  lines 
do  not  create  forms  more  erratic  and  likely  to  compel 
attention  than  do  the  objects  themselves  as  a  whole. 
If  this  is  the  case  their  bounding  lines  must  be  simplified 
somehow,  drills  may  he  taken  oil',  unpleasant  carving 
removed.  Expressionless  curved  bracketing,  such  as 
appears  on  piazzas,  and  much  modern  furniture  should 
also  be  banished.  In  a  room  the  objects  themselves 
must  be  reduced  to  a  consistent,  structural  appearance 
before  they  can  become  in  any  sense  a  part  of  the  wall. 

A  departure  from  this  structural  form  if  desired  is 
easily  made  by  using  ornament,  hooks,  pottery,  and 
other  lesser  forms  of  art  expression  upon  articles  of  fur- 
niture or  adjacent  to  them.     The  question  of  how  many 

61 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

of  these  to  use  at  a  time  and  how  many  pictures,  and 
what  ones  are  appropriate  will  be  considered  in  later 
chapters.  Suffice  it  to  say,  now,  that  whatever  is  used 
should  either  be  structurally  in  harmony  with  all  the  other 
objects,  or  there  should  be  few  enough  articles  non-struc- 
turally  related  to  make  it  possible  for  one  to  grasp  the 
feeling  of  the  room  and  to  remain  content  without  a 
constant  mental  effort  to  fathom  the  mysteries  of  the 
maze  into  which  he  is  thrust  as  he  enters. 

Perhaps  the  most  flagrant  abuse  of  the  structural  idea 
is  the  custom,  so  long  prevalent,  of  hanging  pictures  by 
one  wire,  each  end  of  which  is  attached  to  the  frame, 
while  both  sides  converge,  at  a  point  where  the  picture 
hook  is  attached  to  the  moulding.  Any  line  which  is 
out  of  harmony  with  the  structural  idea  of  the  unit 
should  be  so  for  purposes  of  emphasis.  When  any  un- 
usual line,  unusual  shape,  or  unusual  direction  is  intro- 
duced it  is  for  the  purpose  of  calling  attention  to  that 
line,  shape  or  direction  because  of  its  beauty  or  its  use. 
There  can  certainly  be  no  other  reason  for  calling  atten- 
tion to  any  particular  thing  in  a  room.  Since  the  room 
will  probably  have  no  lines  in  harmony  with  the  trian- 
gular one  thus  created,  and  since  the  picture  hook  is 
presumably  less  decorative  than  the  picture  itself 
(though  this  is  not  always  true),  there  can  be  no  reason 
why  such  a  line  should  be  introduced  at  the  expense  of 
the  entire  wall,  to  say  nothing  of  the  constructive  value 
of  the  picture  itself. 

A  single  picture  wire  should  be  passed  through  two 
hooks  about  one  inch  from  the  top  of  the  picture  to  be 
hung.  This  wire,  passing  through  the  two  screw  eyes, 
will  leave  the  two  ends  free  and  the  wire  adjustable. 


THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  FORM 

Use  two  picture  hooks,  tying  one  to  each  end  of  the 
wire  and  hang  the  wires  vertically.  They  will  then  be 
parallel  with  the  edge  of  the  frame,  with  the  casings  of 
the  windows,  doors  and  other  structural  features  of  the 
room.  In  this  way  even  ugly  picture  wires  almost  es- 
cape notice.  If  they  do  not  they  should  he  toned  to 
the  general  wall  colour. 

Window  curtains  very  much  draped  create  many 
lines  out  of  harmony  with  the  windows.  This  is  the 
reason  why  under  present  conditions  the  best  decorators 
are  modifying  considerably  the  period  methods  of  hang- 
ing curtains,  and  using  them  straighter,  with  straighter 
valance  and  less  erratic  line  combinations  in  the  making. 

This  principle  of  structural  unity  must  he  applied  to 
the  selection  and  arrangement  of  every  article,  and 
violations  of  the  idea  may — after  the  meaning  of  the 
principle  is  thoroughly  understood — be  considered  for 
reasons  of  emphasis;  hut  study  how,  and  why  and  where 
before  introducing  any  unrelated  forms  in  matters  of 
decorative  structural  arrangement. 

A  second  principle  of  form  is  that  shapes  and  sizes 
should  be  consistent.  Its  analysis  has  to  do  with  the 
selective  element  in  form  and  size  as  well  as  the  problem 
of  arranging  these  selected  forms  in  the  most  harmoni- 
ous and  agreeable  manner  possible. 

The  bounding  edges  of  forms  or  shapes  are  lines. 
These  lines  are  made  always  at  the  junction  of  two 
colour  tones  or  are  formed  by  one  colour  touching  an- 
other. Wherever  this  occurs  a  line  is  created.  Every 
time  colour  lone-,  change  for  any  reason  whatever,  a 
new  shape  is  begun  or  the  shape  considered  begins  to 
change  and  a  lined  condition  exisl  -. 

03 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

Lines,  as  well  as  forms,  are  an  important  element  in 
the  consideration  of  composition.  Good  composition 
demands  that  these  forms  and  lines  should  contain  cer- 
tain elements  of  likeness  or  harmony,  and  that  they  be 
so  placed  as  to  create  this  condition. 

It  is  apparent  then  that  too  many  colours,  too  much 
cut  up  in  small  areas,  must  result  in  the  creation  of  too 
many  shapes  and  lines.  This  tends  to  involve  the  prob- 
lem in  such  a  way  that  simplicity  and  repose  in  a  room 
is  well  nigh  impossible. 

The  kind  of  shapes  and  the  direction  of  lines  are  as 
important  as  the  number  of  them.  Straight  lines,  which 
mark  the  shortest  distance  between  two  points,  by  their 
very  nature  seem  simple,  direct,  forceful  and  some- 
what structural.  These  qualities  are  the  ones  which  the 
straight-line  formation  or  construction  should  suggest, 
and  where  the  feeling  for  them  is  not  acute  it  is  because 
lines  of  arrangement,  as  well  as  of  pattern  design,  meet 
each  other  at  obtuse  and  acute  angles  in  such  a  way  as 
to  create  a  disagreeable  feeling  of  opposition  in  line 
direction.  Patterns  in  rugs  and  textiles  often  do  this, 
as,  in  fact,  the  objects  themselves  are  quite  likely  to  do 
in  the  room  arrangement  in  which  the  first  principle  of 
form — that  is,  consistent  structural  unity — is  not  con- 
scientiously followed. 

This  effect  of  straight  lines  running  in  a  slanting  di- 
rection into  other  straight  lines — excepting  where  the 
angles  created  are  right  angles — is  ugly,  non-structural 
and,  consequently,  usually  uncomfortable  in  feeling 

Curved  lines  change  their  direction  at  every  point. 
There  are  in  general  three  classes  of  these  lines,  as 
follows: 
64 


THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  FORM 

The  arc  of  the  circle  changes  its  direction  equally 
;il  every  point.  This  is  the  most  monotonous  of  curved 
lines,  the  simplest  and  most  easily  sensed.  It  lacks 
variety,  and  when  used  too  frequently  betrays  lack  of 
feeling  for  subtlety  in  line. 

The  arc  of  the  ellipse,  however,  is  more  likely  to 
change  its  direction  at  different  points  in  the  circum- 
ference, and  presents  a  selective  chance  in  line  quite 
impossible  in  the  arc  of  the  circle.  It  is  interesting, 
therefore,  more  subtle,  and  has  greater  aesthetic  pos- 
sibility. 

The  third  class  of  curve  is  taken  from  the  oval,  and 
presents  the  greatest  opportunity  of  all  for  fine  rela- 
tionships in  variety  of  curve  subtlety  and  in  feeling  for 
direction  as  well  as  for  grace  in  line  movement. 

This  curve  of  the  oval  appears  in  pottery  and  vase 
forms,  in  the  general  contour  of  ornament,  and  in  other 
constructive  curve-lined  objects  in  the  work  of  all  na- 
tions where  a  fine  aesthetic  sense  has  been  developed. 
The  Greek,  the  Japanese,  the  High  Renaissance  in 
France,  express  their  subtle  relationships  of  curve  in 
this  type  of  line. 

Mention  of  these  three  classes  of  curves  is  made 
here  that  one  may  become  more  sensitive  to  line'  as  it 
appears  in  ornament  and  as  it  marks  the  boundary 
structural  line  of  objects  which  are  to  be  used  as  dec- 
orative motifs.  The  keener  one's  perception  becomes 
in  any  field  of  expression  the  sooner  will  he  realize 
the  difference  between  the  beautiful  and  the  ugly,  the 
KSthetic  and  the  mechanical,  the  monotonous  and  the 
subtle.  This  perception  is  the  key  to  the  enjoyment  of 
sesthetic  relationships. 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

Forms,  as  they  are  created  by  lines,  may  also  be  char- 
acterized as  straight-lined  and  curve-lined  forms.  The 
wall  surface,  the  floor  and  the  ceiling  are  generally  of 
the  first  type.  Some  articles  of  furniture,  pieces  of 
pottery,  pictures,  clocks  and  other  ornament  are  of  the 
second  class,  and  not  infrequently  a  curved  line  in  the 
form  of  an  alcove,  a  bay  window  or  arched  ceiling 
forms  a  secondary  consideration  in  a  straight-lined 
figure. 

When  forms  have  a  likeness  which  is  more  apparent 
than  their  difference,  they  at  once  become  harmonious. 
A  square  or  rectangle  is  bounded  by  four  straight  lines 
with  four  right  angles,  the  only  difference  being  that 
the  square  has  four  equal  sides  while  the  oblong  has 
two  pairs  of  equal  sides,  each  pair  differing  from  the 
other. 

An  oblong  in  a  vertical  position,  like  the  side  of  a 
room,  which  is  taller  than  its  length,  or  a  blank  wall 
space  between  windows  or  adjacent  to  a  door  open- 
ing with  a  height  exceeding  its  width,  furnishes  an 
opportunity  for  experiment  with  related  and  unrelated 
shapes. 

A  picture,  for  example,  taller  than  it  is  wide,  is 
a  vertical  oblong.  Place  it  at  equal  distances  from 
each  of  the  sides  of  your  wall  space  and  about  opposite 
the  eye  level,  and  you  will  sense  a  likeness  in  the  ratio 
of  the  sides  of  the  picture  to  the  sides  of  the  oblong 
space  in  which  it  is  placed.  This  is  related,  harmoni- 
ous and  comfortable,  if  its  size  is  good,  in  the  space 
upon  which  it  appears. 

In  the  same  position  place  a  square  picture  and 
the  effect  is  a  little  less  pleasing,  unless  adjacent  to  or 


THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  FORM 

in  some  way  related  with  it  are  other  squares  so  that 
its  distinctive  form  is  not  so  apparent. 

If  one  happens  to  have  an  elliptical  picture  and  a 
round  one,  or  even  an  elliptical  vase,  and  a  round  clock, 
he  should  try  each  of  these  in  the  same  position.  He 
will  see  that  the  ellipse  with  a  long  vertical  axis  is  more 
harmonious  with  the  vertical  space  than  if  he  should 
turn  the  ellipse  so  that  the  long  axis  would  be  hori- 
zontal. In  that  case  one  feels  the  opposition  of  the 
horizontal  axis  to  the  vertical  line  of  the  boundary 
space,  and  rebels  against  that  structural  motion,  right 
and  left,  which  is  opposed  to  the  vertical  one  of  the 
wall  space.  This  would  be  equally  true,  of  course,  of 
a  horizontal  oblong  picture  in  the  same  space. 

The  circle,  the  most  monotonous  of  curve-lined 
figures,  whose  circumference  changes  its  direction  at 
every  point  equally,  has  no  quality  in  common  with 
the  vertical  wall  space.  It  is,  therefore,  quite  unrelated 
to  it  as  a  decorative  spot  unassociated  with  other  ob- 
jects. If  the  wall  space  were  exactly  square,  the  round 
picture  or  clock  would  have  the  relationship  of  equal 
diameters  and  not  be  so  inharmonious  as  in  the  vertical 
shape. 

It  is  hard,  however,  to  harmonize  in  any  way  a  round 
clock,  round  picture,  round  medallion  or  other  circular 
objed  upon  the  wall.  If  a  round  picture  must  be  used, 
mat  it  with  the  most  inconspicuous  tone,  relate  this 
tone  to  the  frame,  and  make  both  mat  and  frame  square 
so  that  the  environment  of  the  picture  may  be  in  har- 
mony with  its  background.  The  wall  and  the  picture 
itself  graduate  the  circle  into  the  square  by  such  stages 
of  colour   thai    the   transition   becomes  almost,   if   not 

G7 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

entirely,  unobservable.  The  harder  or  more  distinct 
the  line  transition,  the  less  possibility  of  harmony  in 
the  result. 

It  is  on  the  wall  in  particular  that  we  must  avoid 
these  totally  unrelated  shapes.  On  a  mantel,  a  cab- 
inet, or  a  bureau  such  forms  may  appear.  Not  being 
fastened  to  the  wall,  and  no  attempt  being  made  to 
have  them  seem  to  be  a  part  of  it,  they  become  decora- 
tive as  seen  against  it,  because  they  are  supported  by 
and  related  to  the  thing  upon  which  they  stand,  rather 
than  to  the  wall  itself. 

The  wall,  then,  is  the  background,  not  a  part  of 
the  object  which  is  seen  decoratively  against  it.  Its 
foundation  or  resting-place  rather  is  the  thing  with 
which  the  object  belongs. 

A  point  might  be  made  here  in  regard  to  the  position 
of  pictures  and  tapestries  on  the  wall.  Unless  the 
tapestry  is  of  sufficient  size  to  nearly  cover  the  wall,  so 
that  it  seems  to  be  a  part  of  it,  there  should  be  some 
article  of  furniture  or  structural  fact  with  which  it  may 
seem  to  group.  This  is  even  more  essential  in  the  case 
of  pictures. 

If  a  picture  is  hung  so  high  that  it  seems  to  be  un- 
related to  the  cabinet,  dresser,  mantel,  chair  or  other 
object,  it  immediately  becomes  a  foreign  object  ap- 
plied or  nailed  to  a  vertical  surface.  This  is  uncom- 
fortable, and  usually  is  not  decorative,  particularly  if 
the  picture  is  heavily  framed.  It  should  be  hung  low 
enough  to  be  related  to  an  article  of  furniture  and  to 
form  some  part  of  a  group.  The  single  isolated  idea 
is  always  more  or  less  uncomfortable  and  certainly  un- 
duly conspicuous  in  most  instances. 
68 


THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  FORM 

The  contour  of  furniture  is  a  subject  properly  re- 
lated to  the  idea  of  consistent  forms.  It  often  occurs 
that  both  Straight-lined  and  curve-lined  furniture  are 
essential  to  the  spiril  of  a  modern  room. 

In  no  period  except  that  of  Louis  W  has  a  furniture 
construction  been  worked  out  in  which  every  construc- 
tive line  is  a  curve.  In  this  period  straight-lined  struc- 
ture was  unknown  and  curved  lines  were  brought  to  their 
highest  possible  state  of  efficiency  as  expressions  of 
refined  and  artistic  composition.  A  Louis  XV  chair. 
then,  U  totally  unrelated  in  it ^  form  to  the  Louis  XVI 
chair  whose  seat  and  hack  may  he  rectangular. 

The  period  of  Louis  XVI  frequently  gives  us  chairs 
in  which  the  seal-  an'  curved,  the  lop  of  the  hack  shows 
an  arc  of  a  circle  or  an  ellipse,  while  the  entire  hack  is 
a  curve-lined  figure,  although  the  legs  are  vertical  and 
straighl  and  the  general  feeling  is  one  of  an  upright,  rec- 
tangular object.  There  is  an  element  of  likeness  between 
last  chairs  described  and  the  Louis  XV,  which 
under  right  conditions  makes  them  harmonious  and  de- 
lightful together.  If  the  perfectly  straight-lined, rectan- 
gular Loui>  XVI  chair  is  the  only  one  in  the  room,  the 
Louis  XV  chair  can  hardly  he  said  to  he  closely  enough 
related  to  he  prohahle  in  such  a  combination. 

The  simples!  expression  is  the  one  in  which  one  type 
of  form  is  not  only  dominant  hut  preeminent.  The 
early  Italian  Renaissance,  with  its  formal,  stalely. 
upright  chairs;  with  cabinets,  every  line  of  which  is 
straight,  vertical  ami  horizontal;  with  spacing  and 
arrangement  in  which  vertical  and  horizontal  line 
forms  are  the  only  ones  used,  while  other  articles  of 
furniture  are  based  upon  the  same  plan,  gives  one  a 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

chance  to  see  what  is  really  the  effect  of  a  room  in  which 
only  one  general  form  is  considered. 

The  same  idea  has  been  exploited  in  this  country 
during  the  last  twenty -five  years  under  the  name  of  the 
"Mission  Style."  This  Mission  Style  is  the  return  to 
the  straight-lined  structural  construction  by  a  people 
completely  worn  out  and  exhausted,  having  their 
vision  bedimmed  by  the  meaningless,  erratic  and  in- 
artistic curves  of  the  black-walnut  period.  In  sheer 
self-defence  they  have  intuitively  grasped  at  the  Mission 
idea,  not  because  it  is  especially  beautiful  in  propor- 
tion, practical  or  decorative  in  its  effect,  but  because 
there  must  be  some  way  to  rid  the  country  of  the  jig- 
saw bracketing  of  the  modern  wooden  house.  A  maze 
of  grill  work  had  found  its  way  into  the  interior,  over 
doors,  mantels,  mirrors,  etc.,  and  it  was  necessary  to 
eliminate  the  atrocities  in  curve-lined  furniture,  which 
factories  were  turning  out  under  the  impression  that 
something  original  was  being  done. 

The  Mission  Style  has  done  its  work  and  is  passing, 
but  it  is  worthy  of  special  mention  since  it  has  called 
to  the  attention  of  this  country  the  fact  that  simple 
related  forms  are  essential  to  good  taste  in  the  expres- 
sion of  the  interior  of  an  ordinary  house. 

One  must  consider  also  in  this  connection  the  line 
formations  due  to  ornament,  abstract  and  otherwise, 
used  decoratively  in  textiles  and  rugs.  I  have  already 
called  your  attention  to  the  impossible  medallions  of 
various  shapes  which  occur  too  often  in  Oriental  rugs. 
These  forms  are  unrelated  to  the  rug  shape  and  to 
furniture  shapes,  and,  in  short,  to  everything  with 
which  they  are  associated.  Because  they  are  always 
70 


THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  FORM 

more  or  less  ugly  in  themselves,  they  must  either  not 
appear  at  all  or,  if  they  do  appear,  must  be  so  subdued 
that  their  outline  is  discerned  with  the  greatest  dif- 
ficulty. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  a  round  table  must  be 
used  in  a  room.  This  is  possible  from  the  standpoint 
of  function,  in  the  dining-room,  if  over  the  table  there 
is  a  decorative  circular  ceiling  treatment,  a  circular 
chandelier — if  chandeliers  arc  used — or  a  curve-lined 
rug  which  may  help  to  harmonize  such  a  table  with  the 
straight-lined  floor  effect.  In  this  case  the  colours 
chosen  should  be  such  that  the  transition  in  shape  from 
table  to  floor  will  be  less  apparent  because  of  the  rug. 
If.  however,  the  transition  created  is  hard  and  apparent, 
then  the  rug  pattern  would  better  be  of  the  floor  shape 
since  it  gives  no  help  in  harmonizing  unrelated  forms. 

It  may  not  be  necessary  to  mention  that  a  square 
lunch  cloth  on  a  round  table  is  less  harmonious  than  a 
round  one,  or  that  a  round  one  on  a  square  table  is  less 
harmonious  than  a  square  cloth.  There  are  many 
other  interesting  applications  of  this  rule  to  every 
article  that  may  be  decoralively  used,  but  the  reader 
will  find  interest  in  detecting  things  for  himself  and 
correcting  the  wrong  usages  as  fast  as  the  right  ones 
-ccm  bet  ter  to  him  than  the  wrong  ones. 

The  second  application  of  this  principle,  that  which 
relates  to  consistent  size,  is  more  difficult  to  treat  in  a 
limited  space.  It  has  taken  centuries  for  the  Japanese 
to  produce  a  national  consciousness  in  which  the  feeling 
for  the  best  and  most  subtle  relationships  in  size  is  in- 
tuitive. The  (ireeks  gave  one  thousand  years  of  con- 
cent rated  thought  to  finding  the  Lest    way  to  develop 

71 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

ideal  pure  form,  not  only  in  the  human  figure,  but  in  all 
phases  of  expression.  This  people,  whose  God  was 
beauty,  and  whose  beauty  was  truth  in  its  highest  form, 
presents,  as  no  other  people  ever  has,  the  tangible 
effects  of  a  nation  working  unitedly  for  a  common  end — 
namely,  the  realization,  intellectually,  of  pure  form. 

The  Greek  ideal  brought  out  an  art  expression,  par- 
ticularly in  architecture  and  ornament,  whose  essential 
principles  have  been  fundamental  in  the  development 
of  all  succeeding  expression,  except  perhaps  the  Gothic, 
which  is  the  result  of  an  entirely  different  ideal.  So 
effectually  was  their  scheme  of  education  planned  from 
youth  to  old  age,  and  so  carefully  was  the  religious, 
political  and  social  fabric  woven,  that  these  people 
became  imbued  with  the  one  idea  of  creating  beauty, 
which  was  the  expression  of  divinity  in  its  noblest  form. 
To  create  or  use  an  ugly  thing  was  impossible  with  this 
code  of  life.  Because  of  the  psychological  result  which 
followed  such  training,  the  subtleties  in  shape  and  size 
of  parts  expressing  a  whole  are  still  the  criterion  for 
architects  and  constructional  designers  in  all  fields  of 
expression  involving  the  classic  idea. 

From  buildings,  architectural  details,  ornament, 
sculpture  and  the  lesser  crafts  has  come,  quite  con- 
sciously through  the  Renaissance,  down  to  us  the  Greek 
relations  in  size  which  really  furnished  the  key  to  their 
special  excellence. 

Greek  art,  unlike  that  of  other  nations,  is  not  an  emo- 
tional one  in  which  forms,  lines  and  colours  excite  the 
aesthetic  sense  without  thought;  every  size,  shape  and 
arrangement  is  the  product  first  of  an  intellectual  calcula- 
tion. That  is  what  has  made  it  possible  to  get  at,  soine- 
72 


THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  FORM 

what  scientifically,  the  relationships  in  size  which  made 
the  Greek  objects  standards  upon  which  other  nations 
have  based  their  ideas  of  proportion. 

In  the  days  of  the  High  Renaissance  in  Italy  Leonardo 
da  Vinci  and  other  great  artists  worked  out,  by  measure- 
ments and  by  copy  and  by  analytical  and  synthetical 
methods,  certain  statements  of  proportion  which  are 
helpful  in  modern  times.  One  in  particular  has  been 
known  as  the  Golden  Mean,  the  Greek  Law,  the  Greek 
Deduction  or  the  Idea!  Proportion. 

This,  of  course,  is  an  abstract  idea,  and  to  abstract 
spacing  applies  in  finding  out  interesting  relationships. 
Thisstatement  of  proportion  originated  in  the  ratio  of  the 
diameter  of  the  top  of  the  Doric  or  Ionic  column  to  the 
diameter  of  its  base,  in  the  relative  widths  of  spaces  in 
the  frieze  of  the  Parthenon  and  oilier  Greek  temples,  in 
the  proportions  of  the  various  well-known  ornaments, 
the  vertical  to  the  horizontal  proportions,  and  even  tothe 
calculation  of  the  proportions  of  the  ideal  human  figure. 

Exact  divisions,  like  the  half,  third,  fourth,  eighth, 
etc.,  are  mechanical,  are  easily  measured  in  inches,  and 
easily  grasped  by  the  mind.  Having  no  subtlety  they 
lack  the  one  feature  that  stimulates  the  imagination  and 
lends  interesl  to  the  object. 

The  idea  of  variety,  which  is  a  consistent  one.  is  fun- 
damental in  all  artistic  things.  Training  in  schools  or 
in  business,  which  leads  to  a  constant  creation,  in  any 
field,  of  purely  mechanical  things,  blunts  and  sinnts  the 
aesthetic  perception,  desl  roying  the  ability  toenjoy  subtle 
relation-hip--. 

The  first  point  to  note  in  this  law  i-  the  fact  that  me- 
chanical divi-aon-,  are  not    arli-lie  one-.      That    halves, 

73 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

thirds  and  fourths  are  mechanical  ones,  and  therefore, 
monotonous,  so  that  the  habitual  consideration  of  them 
must  result  ultimately  in  a  loss  of  power  to  appreciate 
more  subtle  ones. 

The  second  step  in  the  evolution  of  the  idea  reveals 
that  in  the  case  of  two  objects,  very  unlike  in  size,  each 
becomes  more  pronounced  because  of  its  association  with 
the  other.  A  very  tall  man  seen  with  an  exceedingly 
short  one  not  only  seems  taller  than  he  otherwise  would, 
but  by  comparison  makes  the  short  man  seem  shorter 
than  if  he  were  seen  by  himself . 

Wherever  these  great  contrasts  occur,  the  mind  fails 
to  make  any  comparison  between  the  two  objects,  sees 
no  relationship  whatever,  and  fails  to  feel  satisfied.  If 
they  are  totally  unrelated  they  cannot  be  a  part  of  a 
unit  or  a  whole.  The  applications  of  this  idea  are 
legion  in  the  choice  of  articles  for  the  furnishing  of  a 
house. 

The  third  step  is  the  perception  of  when  it  is  that 
sizes  or  areas  are  nearly  enough  alike  to  be  easily  com- 
pared by  the  mind  and  sufficiently  differing  in  size  to  be 
interesting  because  of  their  difference.  This  is  the  most 
vital  point  in  the  evolution  of  the  idea. 

If  a  vertical  oblong,  say  four  and  one-half  inches  high 
and  two  and  three-fourths  inches  wide,  is  drawn  and 
divided  exactly  in  the  centre  by  a  horizontal  line,  two 
areas  are  created  which  are  monotonous,  mechanical 
and  uninteresting.  On  another  oblong  of  the  same  pro- 
portion a  horizontal  line  may  be  drawn  five-eighths 
of  an  inch  from  the  bottom.  Two  areas  will  be  created 
which  are  incomparable,  inconsistent,  unlike  in  their 
direction  and  inartistic  in  their  feeling.  If  a  third  ob- 
74 


THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  FORM 

long  be  drawn  and  the  exact  centre  of  the  right-hand 
edge  found,  so  that  the  right-hand  vertical  line  is  di- 
vided into  two  equal  parts,  then  this  same  line  divided 
into  thirds,  we  have  a  basis  for  a  horizontal-line  division 
which  will  result  in  subtle  and  interesting  areas  for 
comparison.  Select  a  point  somewhere  between  the 
half  and  third.  It  must  not  be  a  point  exactly  in  the 
centre  between  the  two,  nor  one  which  would  divide 
the  figure  into  thirds  or  quarters.  The  division  must 
come  at  some  uneven  distance  between  the  half  and 


FIB.  I 


FIG.E 


FIG.! 


I.    Two  areas  equal  and  monotonous 
II.     Two  areas  unrelated  and  incomparable 
III.     Two  areas  subtle,  comparable  and  interesting 

third.  Then  draw  a  horizontal  line  dividing  this  oblong 
into  two  areas  which  are  not  equal,  hut  which  are  so 
related  as  to  seem  comparable  when  seen  together. 

These  area  divisions  may  be  used  in  many  ways  in 
designing  facades  of  buildings,  in  the  interior  panelling  of 
bouses,  and  parts  of  dour-,  and  windows.  They  should 
be  considered  also  with  reference  to  the  relations  of 
these  to  each  other,  lo  furniture  and  its  proportions  and 

7.-, 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

to  decorative  motifs  as  they  are  used  upon  any  furniture 
or  textile. 

The  Greek  law  of  areas  or  lines  may  be  approximately 
stated  in  these  words:  "Two  areas  or  lines  are  compara- 
ble, interesting,  subtle  and  desirable  when  one  of  them 
is  between  one-half  and  two-thirds  the  area  or  length  of 
the  other." 

Any  one  interested  in  seeing  the  application  of  this 
idea  to  concrete  things  will  find  plenty  of  opportunity 
for  comment  and  disapproval  in  the  relation  of  windows 
to  wall  space  when  function  would  admit  of  a  different 
arrangement;  in  the  placing  of  plate  rails  in  a  room;  in 
the  widths  and  positions  of  dadoes;  in  the  bands  of 
rugs;  in  rugs  as  they  relate  to  floor  space;  in  panels  on 
cabinets,  chests  and  other  articles  of  furniture;  in  motifs 
whose  parts  are  totally  unrelated  because  of  badly 
chosen  sizes;  in  dishes,  in  lamp  bases  with  their  shades, 
and  other  articles  in  every  room  in  which  the  owner  has 
never  given  a  thought  to  subtle  relationships.  If  more 
than  two  sizes  are  compared  a  ratio  may  be  established 
between  the  smaller  of  the  first  two  compared  and  a 
third  size  which  is  to  be  used. 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  and  simple  applications  of 
this  rule  is  seen  in  a  well-margined  book  page  where  the 
law  of  optics  requires  the  widest  margin  at  the  bottom, 
the  next  at  the  outside,  and  narrower  ones  at  the  top  and 
inside,  thus  presenting  four  well-related  sizes  in  a  field  in 
which  every  one  is  interested  and  where  the  most  uncul- 
tivated can  see  the  result  and  sense  its  correct  appli- 
cation. 

We  might  extend  the  discussion  to  the  relation  of  the 
size  of  the  table  cover  to  the  table  top,  the  position  of 
76 


THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  FORM 

the  band  to  the  edge  of  the  china  plate,  or  to  any  other 
lesser  matters,  hut  for  the  further  application  of  this 
principle  it  may  be  well  to  allow  the  reader  to  extend  his 
application  as  far  as  he  can,  in  the  hope  of  discovering 
new  possibilities  in  realms  not  mentioned  in  the  text. 


PART  I  CHAPTER  III 

BALANCE     AND     MOVEMENT 

SPEAKING  from  the  standpoint  of  appearance  as  it 
expresses  rest,  repose  or  artistic  skill,  no  one  term  means 
so  much  as  the  word  balance.  In  fact,  the  arrange- 
ment of  colour  tones,  forms  and  lines  in  a  perfectly  bal- 
anced scheme  will  always  result  in  the  appearance  of  just 
these  qualities  named.  It  is  difficult  at  first  to  appre- 
ciate how  important  this  element  is  in  room  arrangement. 

The  term  balance  means  a  perfect  equalization  of 
attractions,  whatever  the  attractions  may  be,  if  they 
make  an  appeal  through  the  sense  which  transmits  them 
to  the  mind.  The  feeling  for  this  quality  is  an  instinct, 
inherent  because  man  is  a  part  of  a  created  whole  in 
which  there  are  general  laws  touching  every  element  of 
the  universe. 

The  law  of  gravitation  plays  a  certain  part  in  optical 
effects,  and  this  attracting  force,  pulling  all  matter  in  a 
given  direction,  is  one  of  the  influences  that  affects  the 
nature  of  man.  This  term  attraction  applied  to  the 
sense  of  sight  is  balance.  Where  a  perfect  balance  ex- 
ists one  experiences  unconsciously  a  feeling  of  satis- 
faction which  comes  from  a  sense  of  rest  and  repose 
through  finished  action. 

Balance,  then,  may  briefly  be  defined  as  that  principle 
by  which  an  equalization  of  attractions  is  obtained,  or 
78 


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BALANCE  AND  MOVEMENT 

by  which  a  sense  <>f  rest,  repose  or  finished  movement  is 
produced.  The  feeling  resulting  from  balanced  condi- 
tions has  in  it  the  quality  of  rest  and  satisfaction  be- 
cause nothing  further  having  a  sense  appeal  of  attraction 
is  presented  to  the  mind. 

There  are  two  types  of  balance  which  may  be  de- 
scribed. 

The  first  type  of  balance  is  known  as  bisymmetric. 
If  a  side  wall  entirely  covered  with  one-tone  wall  paper 
has  a  vertical  line  drawn  through  its  centre  from  top 
to  bottom,  this  vertical  line  may  be  said  to  be  the  bal- 
ancing point  for  all  objects  right  and  left  of  this  line  in 
relation  to  the  wall  space.  So  long  as  the  wall  is  cov- 
ered with  one  tone,  no  other  thing  appearing  upon  it 
or  against  it,  it  is  in  a  balanced  condition.  That  is, 
there  is  nothing  on  one  side  which  makes  a  stronger 
appeal  for  attention  than  there  is  on  the  other.  If  one 
but  drives  a  nail  at  the  right  of  the  line,  and  centres 
vision  on  the  balancing  line,  he  is  at  once  invited  by  the 
presence  of  the  nail  to  transfer  his  attention  from  the 
line  to  the  nail. 

If  this  nail  becomes  a  picture,  an  ornament,  an  object 
of  furniture  or  a  person  standing  against  or  adjacent 
to  the  wall,  the  desire  to  give  attention  in  that  direction 
is  increased  proportionately  to  the  attractive  qualities 
of  the  object  under  consideration. 

Returning  to  the  first  statement,  in  which  a  nail  is 
placed  at  the  right  of  the  (en I  re  line:  I  shall  restore  the 
equilibrium  and  again  find  my  wall  balanced  if  I  drive 
a  nail  of  the  same  size,  shape  and  colour  exactly  as 
far  to  the  left  of  the  centre  line  as  the  first  one  was  to 
the  right  of  the  same  line. 

79 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

If  my  purpose  in  driving  these  nails  is  to  arrange 
upon  the  wall  two  pictures,  I  find  in  placing  one  at  the 
right  I  have  again,  notwithstanding  my  nail,  completely 
unbalanced  the  wall;  that  is,  there  is  something  on  the 
right  that  by  its  shape,  size,  colour,  position  and  human 
appeal  bids  me  look,  become  interested,  and  remain 
attentive. 

Again,  because  I  have  placed  a  material  thing  on 
the  right  of  this  line,  I  have  also  added  more  matter 
to  be  unconsciously  attracted  by  gravitation  to  the 
right  side  than  I  have  to  the  left.  This  again,  from 
another  standpoint,  unbalances  the  wall  and  makes 
the  right  side  seem  heavier  or  more  drawn  down  than 
the  left.  If  I  wish  to  restore  balance  I  must  place  on 
the  second  nail  at  the  left  a  picture  exactly  equal  in 
attraction  to  the  one  placed  on  the  right,  bearing  in 
mind,  of  course,  that  each  nail  is  as  far  from  the  centre 
line  as  the  other. 

The  reason  for  starting  with  the  nail  is  not,  of  course, 
on  the  supposition  that  a  nail  is  to  become  a  part  of 
the  decorative  scheme,  but  to  lead  the  mind  to  see  that 
even  the  nail,  should  it  be  left  without  a  picture,  or  the 
hole  in  the  wall  made  by  the  nail  if  not  properly  covered, 
becomes  an  attracting  force,  which  may  ultimately  fig- 
ure in  the  destruction  of  balance  on  the  wall. 

This  centre  line  on  a  wall  space  is  an  important 
thing  to  reckon  with  in  all  cases  before  attempting  to 
balance  the  wall.  If  the  wall  were  again  cleared  and 
I  should  decide  to  put  two  chairs  exactly  alike,  each 
equidistant  from  the  centre  line,  I  should  have  a  bal- 
ance. If  a  cabinet  be  placed  on  the  line  so  that  exactly 
half  falls  to  the  right  and  half  to  the  left;  two  chairs, 


-4^i 


BALANCE  AND  MOVEMENT 

exactly  alike,  one  on  each  side  of  the  cabinet,  equidistanl 
from  I lu>  centre  lin<-  and  equidistanl  from  the  cornice 
upon  the  cabinel ;  a  row  of  three  pictures,  half  <>n  either 
side  the  vertical  line:  at  the  ends  <>|*  the  cabinel  two 
tall  candlesticks,  both  alike  and  equidistant  from  the 
centre;  in  the  centre  of  the  cabinel  a  well-chosen  dec- 
orative jar  or  piece  of  pottery,  the  wall  will  balance, 
having  equal  attractions  in  size,  shape,  colour  and 
texture  on  each  side  of  the  vertical  line.  This  type 
of  balance  is  known  as  bisymmetric. 

The  natural  feeling  one  experiences  from  this  type  of 
balance  is  one  of  dignity  and  formality  first.  The  very 
fact  that  one  sees  OH  each  side  of  the  centre  exactly 
the  same  forms,  colours  and  textures,  makes  the  mental 
grasp  of  the  situation  easier,  and  consequently,  in  the 
simplest  possible  way,  with  the  least  mental  effort,  pro- 
duces the  effect  of  dignity  and  formal  arrangement. 

Repose  is  a  second  feeling  which  must  come  without 
conscious  effort.  This  is  perhaps  b  part  because  of 
the  analogy  between  the  arrangement  and  the  law  of 
gravitation,  as  it  may  be  seen  in  the  use  of  the  ordi- 
nary weighing  scales.  When  both  pans  of  the  weighing 
scales  are  empty  tin-  bar  is  horizontal  and  the  scales 
are  at  rest.  Throw  into  the  scale  a  cube  <>f  iron  weigh- 
ing one  pound,  and  the  scales  are  in  motion,  a  diagonal 
position  is  created  and  rest  is  destroyed.  Put  into  the 
other  pan  an  iron  cube  of  equal  weight  ami  size,  and 
the  weighing  l>ar  becomes  again  horizontal  and  the 
feeling  of  formal  and  dignified  position  returns,  while 
the  mental  sensation  of  harmony  with  the  law  of  grav- 
itation  is  a  natural  sequence. 

The  side  wall  arrangement  described  works  in  pre- 

81 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

cisely  the  same  manner.  Because  of  our  associations 
with  things  in  these  relative  positions  they  produce  the 
sensations  described.  We  are  at  once  more  or  less 
affected,  according  to  our  sensitiveness,  by  such  an  ar- 
rangement, and  more  or  less  require  this  form  to  pro- 
duce the  desired  result. 

There  are  so  many  applications  of  this  bisymmetric 
arrangement  in  all  phases  of  expression  that  no  ex- 
haustive treatment  of  them  can  be  made.  It  may  be 
suggested,  however,  that  one's  appreciation  of  the 
bisymmetric  balance  may  be  cultivated  by  searching  the 
facades  of  buildings  and  their  gable  ends  for  the  perfect 
bisymmetric  arrangement.  One  may  also  arrange  man- 
tels or  bureau  and  dresser  tops  in  bisymmetric  form, 
placing  furniture  and  decorative  objects  simply  in  these 
positions,  creating  vertical  centre  lines  on  which  they 
may  appear  as  balanced  attractions. 

It  will  be  seen  in  all  applications  of  the  principle  that 
this,  the  simplest  arrangement,  requires  the  least 
subtle  treatment,  is  a  matter  of  intelligence  rather 
than  imagination,  that  it  is  formal  enough  for  any 
condition  and  restful  enough  for  any  scheme.  It  is 
the  easiest  way  out  of  ordinary  problems  of  unrest  in 
arrangement. 

It.  must  be  admitted,  however,  that  the  constant  use 
of  bisymmetric  treatment  may  result  in  a  stiff  effect  and 
be  a  bit  too  formal,  since  it  is  rather  monotonous  and 
lacks  in  some  ways  the  large  imaginative  opportunity 
of  the  more  involved  arrangement. 

The  second  kind  of  balance  is  known  as  the  occult 
balance.  This  means  simply  a  balance  which  is  felt 
rather  than  one  methodically  or  scientifically  deter- 
82 


:  -_  - 
a  7-  2 


BALANCE  AND  MOVEMENT 

mined.  The  occult  balance  may,  il  is  true,  be  proven 
to  be  a  balanced  arrangement  if  one  knows  how  to 
estimate  the  attractive  force  of  the  elements  used  in 
the  scheme.  It  is,  however,  in  general,  a  matter  of 
aesthetic  sense,  acute  feeling,  or  feeling  and  judgment 
combined,  which  is  a  mailer  of  psychologic  conclusion 
rather  than  of  a  material  calculation. 

With  the  Japanese  the  sense  for  occult  balance  as 
a  national  assel  has  been  so  strongly  cultivated  by 
education  and  environment  that  their  compositions, 
whether  in  books,  vases  of  flowers,  architectural  or 
detail  arrangements,  unconsciously  present  the  most 
subtle  and  charming  occult  balance  known  to  modern 
life. 

Those  who  are  sufficiently  familiar  with  the  period 
of  Louis  XV  to  understand  the  arrangement  of  orna- 
menl  used  in  wall  panels,  or  the  application  of  this 
ornament  to  articles  of  furniture  following  the  same 
structural  lines,  will  perceive  the  same  refined  sense 
for  occult  arrangement  in  which  then-  is  a  feeling  of 
perfect  balance  on  either  side  the  vertical  line.  In 
no  case  is  there  a  I >isyni metric  arrangement  where  forms, 
sizes,  colours  and  textures  arc  unlike  on  cither  side 
this  balance  line. 

There  are  many  other  interesting  national  expres- 
sions in  which  the  occult  arrangement  is  the  only  one 
evolved  through  highly  organized  artistic  skill  in  com- 
position. 

If  I  he  problem  of  a  single  wall  arrangement  is  one  of 
occult  balance  and  one  has  the  same  cabinet,  two 
chairs,  two  candlesticks  and  two  or  three  pictures  to 
place  upon  the  wall,  and  musl  use  them  all  w  bile  he  may 

83 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

not  use  anything  else,  his  problem  becomes  one  of 
equalizing  these  attractions  on  either  side  the  same 
vertical  line.  Naturally  the  cabinet  will  not  balance 
one  chair — perhaps  not  two.  As  soon  as  the  cabinet 
is  increased  in  attractiveness  by  two  candlesticks,  it  is 
less  apt  to  balance  two  chairs,  or  one,  all  other  things 
being  equal.  The  pictures  evidently  must  be  so  ar- 
ranged as  to  assist  in  this  equalization  of  attractions, 
or  else  the  other  walls  of  the  room  must  be  taken  into 
consideration  with  this  one,  and  the  problem  become 
more  involved. 

For  people  who  are  not  thoroughly  practised,  and 
not  sure  when  a  balance  is  perfectly  arranged,  nothing 
is  more  helpful  when  arranging  side  walls  and  single 
surfaces  than  to  return  to  the  weighing  scale. 

In  the  old-fashioned  steelyard  there  is  a  chance  to 
illustrate  the  occult  balance  idea.  The  horizontal  bar, 
with  its  movable  weight  from  right  to  left,  forms  a 
lever,  with  the  fulcrum  at  the  point  where  a  hook  is 
fastened,  to  which  articles  of  various  gravity  are  ad- 
justed for  weighing  purposes.  An  iron  weight  is  moved 
right  and  left  along  this  bar  until  it  exactly  balances 
an  object  which  is  hung  on  the  aforesaid  hook.  The 
heavier  the  package  attached  to  the  hook,  the  farther 
away  from  the  fulcrum  point  the  iron  weight  is  moved. 
This  weight  increases  in  distance  from  the  central 
balancing  line  as  the  attractive  power  of  the  parcel 
attached  to  the  hook  increases. 

Another  familiar  illustration  of  this  idea  in  the 
law  of  gravitation  is  seen  in  the  see-saw  board.  If  a 
board,  alike  throughout  its  length,  is  placed  across  a 
fence  as  a  fulcrum  point,  so  that  just  half  of  it  is  on 
84 


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BALANCE  AND  MOVEMENT 

each  side  the  fence,  it  rests  in  a  horizontal  position 
and  is  balanced.  If  I  place  a  twenty-five-pound  boy 
on  one,  and  fail  to  adjust  the  boy  or  to  place  a  weigh! 
upon  the  other  end,  the  board  at  once  loses  its  balanced 
etl'eet  and  one  end  is  thrown  to  the  ground.  If,  on 
the  other  hand,  I  place  at  the  same  time  a  twenty-five- 
pound  boy  on  each  end,  my  board  remains  in  perfect 
equilibrium  as  truly  as  it'  nothing  were  placed  upon 
the  board  at  all. 

My  problem  becomes  complicated  when  I  have  a  boy 
weighing  fifty  pounds  and  one  that  weighs  twenty-five 
pounds  to  be  placed  upon  this  board,  and  still  I  desire 
the  board  to  remain  in  a  horizontal  position  and  at  rest. 
If  I  move  the  board  so  that  there  is  twice  as  much  length 
or  distance  on  one  side  the  fence  as  on  the  other,  and 
place  the  boy  weighing  fifty  pounds  on  the  shorter 
end,  and  the  one  weighing  twenty-five  pounds  on  the 
longer  end,  I  shall  find  my  board  resumes  its  normal  rest 
position  and  will  so  remain. 

From  these  two  illustrations  three  very  important 
statements  are  derived. 

First.  Equal  attractions  balance  each  other  at  an 
equal  distance  from  the  centre. 

Second.  Unequal  attractions  balance  each  other  at 
unequal  distances  from  the  centre. 

Third.  Unequal  attractions  balance  each  other  at 
distances  which  are  in  inverse  ratio  to  their  power  of 
attraction. 

Applied  to  the  side  wall,  this  mean--  that  the  stronger 
the  object  is  in  its  power  to  attract,  the  more  it  tends 
to  gravitate  toward  the  centre  or  balancing  line;  the 
less  attractive  the  object,  the  more  it  tend-  to  recede 

85 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

from  the  centre;  that  two  objects,  one  of  which  is 
much  more  attractive  than  the  other,  to  balance  on  a 
single  wall  must  be  so  placed  that  the  more  attractive 
of  the  two  is  nearer  the  centre  than  the  less  attractive 
one,  and  the  less  attractive  is  nearer  the  corner  than 
the  more  attractive  one,  the  exact  difference  apart 
depending  upon  the  attractive  power.  This  estab- 
lishes a  balance,  as  has  been  shown  in  the  case  of  the  use 
of  two  boys  of  unequal  weight  and  the  see-saw  board 
across  the  fence. 

The  wall  problem  usually  involves  more  than  two 
objects  and  sometimes  many.  One  must  begin  by  plac- 
ing the  largest,  strongest  or  most  attractive  nearest  the 
centre;  then  the  next,  the  next,  and  the  next,  back  and 
forth  from  one  side  to  the  other  of  the  central  line,  until  a 
feeling  of  rest  or  equal  attraction  on  either  side  is  ob- 
tained. This  arrangement,  when  it  has  reached  a 
balanced  condition,  is  the  occult  balance  so  often  seen 
and  so  little  understood. 

In  furnishing  a  room,  however,  one  side  wall  is  but  a 
small  part  of  the  entire  problem,  and  were  one  to  take 
each  side  wall  separately  there  would  be  the  problem  of 
putting  the  four  walls  together  so  that  the  entire  room 
is  a  balance  as  well  as  each  separate  wall. 

The  central  axis  of  the  room  is  the  place  in  which  to 
stand  when  judging  the  balanced  arrangement.  If  I 
face  north  and  my  north  wall  is  well  balanced,  I  turn  to 
the  northwest  corner,  and  must  feel  a  balance  between 
the  north  wall  and  west  wall  as  a  whole;  turn  to  the 
northeast  corner,  the  same  feeling  of  rest  should  obtain 
as  between  north  and  east  walls.  If  this  is  right,  the 
west  wall  and  the  east  wall  will  also  balance.     The 


BALANCE  AND  MOVEMENT 

same  process,  facing  south,  will  show  at  once  whether 
the  room  is  well  balanced  or  not. 

By  well  balanced,  I  do  not  mean  the  wall  or  the  things 
that  are  a  part  of  it  or  are  attached  to  it,  but  those  things 
in  the  room,  whether  they  touch  the  wall  or  not,  that 
seem  to  use  that  wall  naturally  as  a  background. 

Sometimes  a  small  picture  hung  over  an  article  of 
furniture  or  a  very  dark  contrasting  value  in  some  ma- 
terial, although  in  small  quantity,  will  restore  the  bal- 
ance where  the  opposite  wall  has  a  larger  picture  over 
a  cabinet  or  piano,  or  where  a  tapestry  gives  a  wall 
sufficient  strength  to  demand  a  strong  opposite  attrac- 
tive force.  This  prevents  a  feeling  of  tipping  in  the 
room. 

Some  of  the  very  bad  arrangement  of  pianos,  espe- 
cially black  one-.,  across  room  corners,  and  the  adjust- 
ment of  bureaus,  dressers  and  cabinets  in  the 
diagonal  positions  are  attempts  to  restore  a  balanced  ar- 
rangement in  the  room  and  to  connect  one  wall  with  the 
Other.  This  linking  by  an  unnatural  line  of  one  wall 
to  the  other  does  not  as  a  rule  restore  the  balance  but  il 
does  destroy  the  structural  effect  of  the  room,  creating 

another  motif  entirely  foreign  to  tl riginal  idea,  ami  il 

often  makes  the  grouping  of  other  articles  of  furniture 
quite  impossible. 


PART  I  CHAPTER  IV 

EMPHASIS     AND     UNITY 

PURPOSELY  up  to  this  time  no  special  stress  has  been 
laid  upon  those  qualities  in  objects  which  furnish  the 
power  of  attraction  previously  mentioned.  There  are 
several  elements  which  in  themselves  attract  the  eye 
under  ordinary  conditions.  There  is  probably  no 
doubt  that  colour  is  the  most  attractive  of  all  forces  to 
the  eye  because  colour  is  the  only  thing  the  eye  sees — 
forms  and  lines  being  the  result  of  colour  transition  and 
mental  comparison. 

Colour  may  be  used  as  an  attractive  force  in  three 
fields,  that  of  hue,  value  and  intensity,  and  should  be 
balanced  accordingly.  If  one  colour  presents  with  its 
background  a  very  strong  contrast  in  intensity,  this 
appeal  may  be  balanced  with  another  object  which  is  a 
stronger  contrast  in  value. 

As  has  been  shown  in  the  chapters  on  colour,  one 
estimates,  consciously  or  unconsciously,  the  attrac- 
tive power  of  a  colour  tone  in  each  of  the  three  fields, 
hue,  value  and  intensity,  and  the  more  one  studies  a 
balanced  relation  of  these  qualities  under  varying  con- 
ditions, the  finer  becomes  his  sense  of  discrimination, 
and  the  sooner  will  the  feeling  for  balance  become 
a  habit.  Until  it  does  become  a  habit  the  pleasure 
resulting  from  balanced  relationship  cannot  be  felt 
88 


EMPHASIS  AND  UNITY 

by  the  individual,  for  the  final  test  of  aesthetic  appeal  is 
in  the  power  of  significant  colour  combination  or  of 
form  to  stimulate  the  activity  of  the  aesthetic  sense. 

When  objects  are  to  appear  as  decorative  features  in 
colour  upon  a  cabinet,  bookcase,  shelf  or  table,  there  is 
abundant  chance  for  arranging  two,  three  or  five  objects 
differing  in  colour,  size  and  form.  If  there  are  five 
objects  there  is  a  single  one,  with  two  on  either  side, 
arranged  in  such  a  way  that  there  is  a  perfect  feeling  of 
rest  in  the  arrangement.  Xo  finer  training  is  possible 
than  the  arranging  of  such  groups. 

If  the  objects  differ  considerably  in  colour,  perhaps  in 
hue  and  intensity,  the  problem  is  still  more  interesting. 
W  there  is  also  great  variation  in  value  the  problem  is  too 
involved  to  grasp  easily. 

Two  of  the  three  qualities  of  colour  make  sufficient 
contrast  between  objects  that  are  to  be  considered  as 
parts  of  a  unit,  and  even  these  two  should  not  under 
general  conditions  be  tOO  violently  contrasted.  It  is  a 
good  thing  to  cultivate  the  habit  of  seeing  subtle  re- 
lationships and  allowing  subtle  relationships  to  do  the 
work  under  ordinary  circumstances.  Never  use  violent 
contrasts  in  any  of  the  colour  qualities  except  as  under- 
stood emphasis  uecessities,  or  as  consciously  felt  stimuli 

to   the  colour  sense. 

A  judicious  use  of  colour  is  essential,  as  a  judicious 
use  of  anything  else  is  essential,  to  its  fullest  usefulness. 
An  orgy  of  colour,  like  an  orgy  of  other  natural  qualities, 
unfits  one  to  appreciate  its  force  and  exhausts  that 
force  in  unnecessary  activity. 

Contrasted  shape-,  must  be  balanced.  A  round  form 
appearing  against  an  oblong  wall  makes  a  stronger  bid 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

for  attention  than  an  oblong  form  of  exactly  the  same 
area  and  exactly  the  same  colour  as  the  circular  one. 
Some  power  of  attraction  added  to  shape  must  be  given 
the  oblong  form  before  it  can  make  as  strong  an  appeal 
as  the  circular  one  or  become  a  balance  for  it. 

In  sensing  an  occult  balance  this  must  be  considered 
as  well  as  relative  sizes.  All  other  things  being  equal, 
objects  of  the  same  size  present  the  same  attractive 
power.  Sometimes,  however,  a  small  object,  brilliant 
or  intense  in  colour,  may  be  balanced  by  a  much  larger 
one  less  intense  in  colour,  when  other  attractive  forces 
are  the  same  in  each. 

Texture,  too,  has  a  special  attraction  interest.  When 
the  wall  is  of  a  soft,  flat,  smooth  texture,  and  two  pieces 
of  pottery  are  to  appear  on  it,  one  having  almost  exactly 
the  same  feeling  in  texture  as  the  wall  and  the  other  con- 
trasted by  being  much  coarser,  heavier,  rougher  and 
more  porous  in  appearance,  even  if  size,  shape  and  col- 
our are  identical,  the  contrasted  texture  gives  one  a 
stronger  force  appeal  than  the  other.  This  quality  of 
textural  difference  is  a  matter  for  consideration  later, 
but  one  that  seriously  enters  into  the  perfect  feeling  for 
balanced  arrangement. 

The  principle  known  as  movement  is,  in  composition 
or  design,  the  opposite  of  balance  and  destroys  the  idea 
which  balance  creates. 

When  the  human  figure  stands  erect — ears,  shoulders, 
hips  and  heels  in  the  same  vertical  line — it  is  in  harmony 
with  the  law  of  gravitation  and  is  at  rest.  No  effort  is 
required  to  stand  erect  when  one  is  in  this  position. 
The  law  of  gravitation  does  the  work.  If  the  body  is 
laid  flat  upon  the  floor  the  same  law,  acting  on  the  floor, 
90 


EMPHASIS  AND  UNITY 

the  body  and  the  rest  of  the  universe,  makes  action  or 
effort  on  the  part  of  man  unnecessary.  Stand  and  in- 
cline the  body  forward  by  throwing  the  left  leg  out  as 
if  to  run,  and  the  body  assumes  a  position  in  which 
there  is  the  appearance  of  its  being  about  to  perform 
some  act  requiring  motion.  If  it  were  to  tip  back  of 
the  vertical  line  the  same  feeling  would  be  created,  and 
an  effort  be  required  in  order  to  remain  in  this  position. 
The  figure  thus  posed  is  said  to  be  in  action. 

When  an  inclined  or  oblique  line  appears  in  composi- 
tion with  vertical  and  horizontal  ones,  the  same  feeling 
of  action  or  motion  is  expressed.  This  is  because  it  is 
out  of  line  with  gravitation  and  out  of  line  with  the 
structural  ideas  with  which  it  is  in  composition. 

Bang  upon  the  wall  at  the  left  side  a  definitely  verti- 
cal striped  wall  paper  or  textile,  hang  at  the  other  end 
of  the  room  a  textile  in  which  there  is  a  definitely  curved 
line  extending  from  top  to  bottom,  either  in  the  form  of 
the  Italian  or  Louis  XIV  decorative  motif,  or  of  a  vine 
arrangemenl  such  as  may  be  found  in  the  textiles  of  the 

Jacobean  period  or  some  modern  wall  papers.     I k  a  I 

the  first  illustration  al>onl  halfway  from  the  floor  to  the 
ceiling.  The  eye  aaturally  tends  at  once  to  follow  the 
vertical  Stripe  to  the  Ceiling;  the  tendency  is  next  to 
follow  it  down  to  the  floor.  The  eye  naturally  moves 
up  and  down  in  a  straight  line  because  it  is  one  thai 
extends  unbroken  in  a  certain  direction.  Tartly  be- 
cause of  the  Structural  idea  a n< I  partly  by  reason  of 
innate  human  curiosity,  the  eye  will  travel  to  the  end 
of  I  hi>  line. 

If  you  look  at  the  second  illustration,  you  will  find 
il    impossible  for  the  eye  to  make  a  straight    line  from 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

the  centre  of  the  room  to  the  top,  or  the  bottom  of  the 
room  to  the  top.  The  eye  tends  to  follow  the  direction 
of  the  strongest  line,  the  curved  one  which  I  have  de- 
scribed. 

This  tendency  by  which  the  eye  is  led  from  one  point 
to  another  by  a  continuous  line,  or  one  nearly  so,  is 
called  movement,  and  this  movement  from  one  place 
to  another,  in  this  or  that  direction,  consciously  or 
unconsciously,  detracts  from  the  sense  of  rest  or  repose. 
If  the  function  of  the  room  is  to  secure  repose,  neither 
of  these  movements  will  be  introduced  in  strong  and 
vigorous  effects  without  destroying  the  idea  for  which 
the  room  exists. 

If  dignity  and  formality  are  the  chief  characteristics 
of  the  room,  the  wandering  curve  will  tend  to  make  it 
less  so  than  if  the  movement  were  a  strictly  vertical 
and  horizontal  one. 

The  lines  of  triangular  picture  wires,  erratic  lines 
created  by  draperies,  oblique  placing  of  rugs  with 
reference  to  floor  edges  and  other  arrangements  which 
have  been  treated  under  structural  unity,  create,  each 
in  itself,  a  movement  contrary  to  the  general  one  estab- 
lished by  the  room  structure.  Each  movement  in  a 
direction  different  from  that  of  all  the  others  creates 
a  maze  or  forest  of  direction  movements.  This  results 
in  confusing  the  selection,  and  a  solution,  conscious 
or  unconscious,  of  the  composition  idea  becomes 
impossible.  Such  a  room  is  not  one  in  which  to 
rest. 

It  is  not  lines  alone  that  create  movement;  spots  of 
colour  or  arrangements  of  forms,  close  enough  together 
to  be  associated  as  parts  of  a  whole,  lead  the  eye  from 
92 


3  ° 

|| 

P  is 


5SHS 
h  a  S  h 


K    -  Q 

/    -    S    fc 


:  : 


EMPHASIS  AND  UNITY 

one  point  to  another  through  a  sequence  in  the  same 
way. 

In  some  designs  which  are  to  be  u*vd  for  decorative 
purposes  movement  is  must  desirable,  for,  in  the  fad 
that  the  eye  does  naturally  go  from  one  part  of  the 
design  to  the  other,  there  is  an  incentive  to  interest 
throughout  the  entire  scheme. 

When  the  opposite  idea,  however,  is  the  aim,  care 
must  be  taken  that  no  such  movement  be  created. 
For  example,  many  people  fancy  that,  given  three  or 
tour  small  pictures,  they  must  be  hung  together  or 
adjacent  to  each  other  a.s  a  group  upon  the  wall;  that 
if  each  picture  is,  for  example,  nine  inches  high,  the 
first  one  at  the  left  should  be  placed  low,  the  next  one 
four  inches  away  from  it  and  two  inches  higher,  the 
next  four  inches  from  that  and  two  inches  higher,  and 
the  last  one  in  the  same  way,  at  a  distance  of  four 
inches,  and  two  inches  higher.  They  believe  that  an 
artistic  result  must  be  obtained  because  this  arrange- 
ment surely  is  not  stiff.  No,  it  is  not  stiff;  neither  is 
it  desirable  from  any  standpoint. 

Structurally  these  pictures  should  be  straight  across 
the  top.  The  reason  for  this  will  be  given  later. 
It  t  hey  are  of  the  same  size  there  is  no  excuse  for  their 
not  being  straight  at  the  top  or  bottom.  If  any  motion 
is  to  be  created  across  the  room  from  right  to  left,  it 
should  be  straight  across  rather  than  up  and  down 
-tair-,  which  would  be  tiresome  if  taken  far.  The  same 
objectionable  movement  often  results  from  arranging 
furniture  after  this  manner. 

Another  place  where  it  is  undesirable  to  create  end- 
less journeys  is  upon  the  floor.     I  have  remarked  be- 

93 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

fore  that  the  quieter  the  floor  appearance  is  the  more 
it  accords  with  the  idea  of  a  place  on  which  the  feet 
may  rest  and  furniture  may  be  placed. 

One  of  the  most  disturbing  things  to  be  found  in  a 
room  is  a  rug  the  pattern  of  which,  by  its  erratic  lines 
or  spotted  effects,  leads  the  eye  horizontally,  vertically 
and  diagonally  all  at  the  same  time.  This  type  of 
design  is  much  worse  when  it  appears  in  spotted  wall 
covers.  For  instance,  in  the  case  of  bouquets  of  flowers 
placed  several  feet  apart,  one  above  the  other,  showing 
as  clearly  defined  spots  that  form  a  sequence  which 
may  be  followed  in  any  direction,  each  spot  leading  to 
an  adjacent  one  in  the  same  line. 

No  one  ever  suspected  until  his  attention  was  called 
to  it,  probably  through  experience,  the  amount  of 
energy  wasted  by  the  American  nation  in  useless  count- 
ing, consciously  and  unconsciously,  of  spotted  wall 
papers,  spotted  floors  and  badly  arranged  decorative 
motifs  on  the  wall. 

The  fact  to  grasp  is  that  these  arrangements  exist 
to  produce  certain  results,  and  movement  prevents 
balanced  arrangement  and  the  resultant  quiet,  restful 
effect  of  finished  motion.  If  the  mistake  is  made  of 
allowing  this  movement  idea  to  creep  in  in  ever  so 
small  a  way,  it  must,  inasmuch  as  it  has  entered  into 
a  scheme,  bring  with  it  the  qualities  for  which  it  stands. 
Understand  this,  and  introduce  the  opposite  of  those 
qualities,  if  they  are  desirable,  in  the  particular  room 
under  consideration. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  those  who  find  pleasure  in 
the  study  of  pictures  to  know  that  this  is  one  of  the 
most  useful  of  all  principles  of  composition  to  him  who 
94 


EMPHASIS  AND  UNITY 

would  use  the  accessory  objects  in  his  pictures  to  em- 
phasize the  centre  of  interest  or  the  key  idea  for  which 
the  picture  stands. 

Take,  for  example,  many  of  the  religious  pictures 
of  early  Italian  art.  Some  of  them  contain  from  three 
to  one  hundred  figures,  including  perhaps  the  mother, 
the  child,  and  the  rest  of  the  Holy  Family,  saints, 
angels  and  other  persons.  The  function  of  each  of 
these  figures  as  a  matter  of  composition  is  to  emphasize 
some  precept  or  ideal  for  which  the  picture  stands  as 
a  whole.  We  will  suppose,  for  the  sake  of  argument, 
thai  the  Chrisl  idea  is  to  he  brought  out  or  the  child 
Christ  idea  is  to  be  emphasized.  The  child  is  small, 
not  brilliantly  coloured,  and  lies  quietly  in  the  mother's 
arms.  The  bend  of  the  head,  the  gaze  of  the  eyes, 
compel  the  observer  of  the  picture  to  find  interest  in 
the  very  thing  in  which  the  mother  is  most  interested. 
Other  members  of  the  family,  saints  and  attendants, 
are  generally  interested  and  looking  directly  at  or 
bending  their  body  toward  either  mother  or  child. 
It'  they  are  not,  one  is  looking  at  another  and  either 
pointing  to  the  object  of  most  importance  or,  by  look- 
ing at  another  who  is  absorbed  in  contemplation  of  this 
objeel .  compels  you  to  follow  his  gaze. 

This  setting  of  composition,  arranging  of  forms, 
comparison  of  lines  and  use  of  gaze  attraction  is  em- 
phasized always  in  the  best  stage  performances  in 
which  more  than  one  or  two  persons  are  concerned  in 
I  he  exposition  of  an  idea. 

Every  principle  of  composition  and  arrangement 
exists  to  make  clear  some  given  quality  or  idea.  These 
principles   also   assist    in    producing   a    corresponding 

a-, 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

mental  state  in  any  person  who  is  active  in  sensing 
such  qualities.  Conformity  to  these  principles  will  re- 
sult in  producing  qualities  related  to  the  idea  for 
which  an  expression  is  sought.  Disregard  of  them  may 
have  a  result  quite  opposed  to  those  ideas  which  may  be 
struggling  for  expression. 

Movement,  then,  is  the  complement  of  balance. 
Balance  exists  to  produce  rest  and  all  those  qualities 
which  are  intimately  related  to  it.  Movement  exists 
to  destroy  balance,  to  create  unrest,  to  lead  the  in- 
dividual in  certain  directions  from  one  thing  to  another 
to  keep  him  on  the  alert,  and  it  ends  by  bringing  him 
to  some  particular  point. 

Let  us  not  confuse  these  two  vital  principles  or  fail 
to  see  their  import  in  the  arrangement  of  colours, 
forms,  lines  and  textures  in  any  problem  where  the  dec- 
orative idea  is  the  one  to  be  considered. 


■  .:.  ' 


.    ..     '      .- 


PART  I  CHAPTER  V 

SCALE,    MOTIFS    AND    TEXTURES   AS   THEY 
RELATE  TO  FURNISHING  AND  DECORATING 


MENTION  has  been  made  of  the  effects  produced 
in  decorative  units  where  the  scale  or  relative  sizes  of 
its  elements  are  well  or  badly  chosen.  A  more  de- 
tailed treatment  of  this  subject  is  not  likely  to  make  us 
too  careful  in  our  selections  in  this  field  of  expression. 

The  term  scale  is  broader  in  its  meaning  than  the 
mere  word  implies.  It  means  not  only  that  every  ele- 
ment of  each  separate  article  must  be  in  the  right 
proportion  to  every  other  element  of  that  article,  but 
thai  every  object  used  in  the  room  unit  must  have  the 
same  perfect  scale  relation  to  every  other  object  used 
and  Id  the  room  itself. 

Furthermore,  this  scale  feeling  extends  not  only  to 
the  appearance  or  to  the  forms,  sizes  and  colours  in 
t  heir  sesthel  ic  effects,  but  also  to  these  as  each  expresses 
its  particular  function  idea. 

Examine  the  treatment  as  it  is  applied  to  a  chair, 
for  instance.  First,  this  given  chair  must  have  general 
proportions  which  are  both  pleasing  and  possible  in  its 
functional  capacity.  The  proportion  of  heighl  to 
width,  and  of  each  of  these  to  the  depth  of  the  chair  as 
a  whole,  must  be  considered.  The  dimensions  of  the 
back,  of  the  seal,  the  heighl  of  the  seal  from  the  floor, 

97 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

the  design  of  the  arms,  if  there  be  any  arms,  must 
be  so  related  that  the  chair  will  fulfill  its  functional 
idea  of  comfort.  Then  all  of  its  parts  by  their  perfect 
scale  relation,  each  to  each,  will  awaken  through  their 
significant  forms  a  sense  of  aesthetic  pleasure. 

The  proportion,  too,  of  the  legs  to  the  cross  bars  of 
the  chair;  of  the  members  of  the  back  to  those  parts 
and  to  each  other;  the  mouldings  (if  there  are  any)  to 
all  these  and  to  each  other  should  be  a  subject  for  care- 
ful individual  study  no  matter  how  small  the  detail 
may  be.  American  furniture  shows  a  woful  lack  of 
knowledge  of  such  details,  a  lack  of  sincerity  in  express- 
ing an  idea  and  a  neglect  of  aesthetic  proportion. 

If  the  chair  is  perfectly  suited  by  its  proportion 
and  its  forms  to  the  idea  for  which  it  stands,  and  if 
these  form  relations  are  so  pleasing  by  comparison  that 
an  aesthetic  sensation  is  produced,  the  chair  has  ful- 
filled the  law,  so  far  as  its  scale  relation  is  concerned, 
as  a  separate  unit.  But  this  is  not  the  final  tribunal 
before  which  this  particular  chair  comes  in  composition 
with  other  chairs  and  other  articles  of  furniture  mak- 
ing up  the  room  unit. 

If  the  chair  under  discussion  is  to  be  covered  with 
upholstery  material  and  this  material  has  decorative 
units  of  ornament  upon  its  surface,  these  also  must  show 
a  scale  feeling.  These  have  the  same  artistic  relation- 
ship as  that  which  exists  between  other  members 
of  the  same  general  whole.  Very  often  a  chair  with 
slim,  delicate,  refined  legs  will  be  found  in  historic 
periods  with  backs  far  too  heavy,  or  vice  versa,  and 
while  the  chair  is  perhaps  an  expression  of  some  stage 
of  development  during  the  period,  it  is  an  ugly  aggre- 


-  -  _ 

sit 

"    -    y 

- 


£  =  ^ 


SCALE,  MOTIFS  AND  TEXTURES 

gate  of  scale  relationships  and  an  inartistic  model  for 
present-day  use.  Sometimes  when  these  parts  are 
well  related  in  scale  the  period  demanded  a  textile  the 
design  of  which  was  far  too  heavy,  or  perhaps  too  weak, 
for  the  structural  scale  elements  of  the  chair. 

There  is  a  question,  then,  of  choosing  between  had 
forms,  bad  sizes,  and  poorly  related  scales  as  the  expres- 
sion of  some  period  when  these  forms  were  not  clearly 
sensed,  or  of  so  relating  these  parts  in  scale  that  they 
shall  represent  not  only  their  functional  idea  but  also 
an  aesthetic  scale  relationship.  There  can  be  no  ques- 
tion as  to  which  to  choose.  The  slavish  acceptance  <>r 
copy  of  a  period  article  of  furniture  or  decoration,  bad 
in  any  part,  hut  copied  because  of  its  period  sig- 
nificance, bespeaks  had  taste.  It  shows  also  a  bad 
tendency  on  the  part  of  the  person  who  prefers  to  copy 
and  bold  intact  badly  expressed  ideas,  rather  than  to 
try  to  grasp  the  idea,  modifying  and  improving  it  as 
much  as  he  is  able  to  under  particular  circumstances. 

It  should  he  made  quite  clear  al  this  point  that  there 
are  no  periods  in  which  one  cannot  find,  and  find  often, 
the  grossest  inconsistencies  in  some  phase  of  national 
expression.  At  no  period  and  at  no  time  have  people 
succeeded  in  keeping  a  perfect  balance  of  ideas;  there- 
fore, in  no  period  have  they  made  a  perfect  balance  in 
expressing  those  ideas. 

Sometimes,  as  in  the  High  Greek  period,  proportion 
lias  I. ecu  fundamental  in  all  things  and  appears  in  its 
mosl  highly  developed  form.  Al  other  times  rhythm 
and  grace  of  line  have  been  the  dominant  thought ,  and 
dancing,  waving-line combinations  have  been  carried  to 
their  greatest    degree  of  perfection.      This  occurred   in 

09 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

the  period  of  Louis  XIV,  when  proportion  and  scale  rela- 
tions between  rooms  and  their  furnishings  were  often 
totally  ignored  in  the  matter  of  assembling  objects  as  a 
room  unit. 

A  single  chair  sometimes  carried  out  in  every  particu- 
lar the  scale  idea,  but  it  was  placed  in  a  room  in  which 
the  scale  relation  was  absolutely  unsensed  and  at  times 
it  was  associated  with  articles  of  furniture  having  the 
same  defect.  Then,  too,  it  frequently  occurred  that 
naturalistic  decorative  motifs  were  woven  in  the  tapestry 
covering  the  seats  of  a  Louis  XV  chair,  decorations  large 
enough  in  motif  and  strong  enough  in  colour  to  have 
dominated  a  huge  formal  chair  of  the  period  of  the  High 
Renaissance  in  Italy. 

The  reason  for  studying  scale  from  period  standpoints 
is  to  establish  the  fact  that  certain  scale  relations  are 
consistent  and  harmonious,  and  therefore  pleasing,  and 
that  a  violation  of  these  scale  relations  is  bound  to  de- 
stroy the  consistency,  the  harmony  and  the  pleasure  re- 
sulting from  scale  as  an  artistic  consideration. 

One  is  quite  likely  to  come  across  badly  related  things 
in  the  most  ordinary  furnishings  of  the  most  ordinary 
houses  as  well  as  in  the  most  elaborate  ones  where 
periods  and  types  are  more  thoughtlessly  mixed. 

A  table  generally  has  a  larger  leg  than  a  chair,  but 
the  ratio  of  size  between  the  leg  and  the  chair  should 
have  a  bearing  on  the  general  size  of  the  table  as  it 
relates  to  the  general  size  of  the  chair;  or,  rather,  the 
general  contour,  size  and  thickness  of  material  in  any 
article  of  furniture  establishes  a  relationship  between  its 
dimensions  as  a  whole  and  the  dimensions  of  its  parts, 
such  as  its  legs,  its  top,  its  slats  or  its  panels. 
100 


HALLWAY  AMI  DINING-ROOM  IN  A  SUBURBAN  HOUSE;  GOOD 
CEP1  RUG  rOO  STRONG  VND  VGGRESSIVE  VND  III!  DEI  M 
PLAN!     STAND     VI      I  III      MM.    « 1    Ol    I    "I     HARMON  1     WITH 

"I  HER    D1   I  Ml  -    IN     I  HI      ROOM. 


SCALE,  MOTIFS  AND  TEXTURES 

Having  established  this  relationship,  a  chair  which 
is  one-fourth  as  big  as  a  cabinel  or  a  table  should  have  a 
leg  not  as  big  as  the  table  bul  in  a  scale  somewhai  corres- 
ponding to  its  size,  as  its  size  relates  to  the  table  dimen- 
sions. 

A  notable  example  of  lack  of  feeling  in  scale  is  the 
manner  in  which  the  tops  of  (allies  jut  beyond  their 
Structural  leg  formation.  Certain  periods  in  the  Italian 
Renaissance  have  established  a  projection  long  enough 
to  -rem  to  he  adequate  for  the  scale  and  height  of  the 
table  itself.  This  same  strict  adherence  to  scale  in  its 
jut  may  lie  seen  in  the  roofs  of  Italian  palaces  of  the  same 
period,  notably  in  those  of  the  Strozzi,  Antinori  and 
Riccardi  in  Florence.  These  have  cornices  projecting 
in  a  scale  charmingly  related  to  the  scale  of  the  facade, 
the  height  of  the  building,  the  material  of  which  it  is 
made  and  to  the  general  proportions  of  the  exterior  of 
the  building. 

By  comparing  Italian  tables  with  those  of  tlie  Eliza- 
bethan or  Early  Renaissance  in  England,  where  the  pro- 
jection is  from  two  to  three  inches,  instead  of  eight  or 
nine  inches,  one  easily  perceives  the  cut  or  dwarfed  feel- 
ing of  the  top.  One  gets  an  impression  of  lack  of 
material  as  well  as  lack  of  proportion  in  the  top  as  it  re- 
lates  io  the  resl  of  the  table. 

It  is  a  curious  anil  interesting  study  to  note  this  one 
instance  of  scale  relationship  through  the  remainder  of 
the  English  periods.  Starting  with  the  Italian  as  a 
bad-  and  taking  the  Elizabethan  as  a  matter  of  com- 
parison. Id  us  look  at  the  ways  in  which  the  Jacobean 
period  worked  out  this  idea.  As  the  material  lessened 
in  amount,  in  thickness  and  in  scale,  the  top  extended  a 

101 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

bit,  and  a  better  relation  in  scale  resulted  than  in  the 
Elizabethan  period,  where  the  proportion,  so  far  as 
the  top  is  concerned,  seemed  to  be  entirely  lost.  In  the 
Queen  Anne  and  Georgian  styles  one  can  readily  see  the 
effect  as  each  interpreter  saw  it  of  the  scale  relation  of 
the  object  and  the  scale  feeling  of  its  material  influencing 
the  matter  of  the  distance  in  the  extension  of  the  top. 

This  relation  is  quite  as  apparent  in  cabinets,  dressers, 
chests  of  drawers  and  writing  tables,  which  articles  of 
furniture  were  developed  with  the  need  for  them  as 
civilization  advanced. 

With  this  period  illustration  in  mind,  one  should  ex- 
amine his  own  furniture  and  the  furniture  of  others  to 
see  whether  in  each  case  he  considers  every  part  and 
detail  to  be  in  perfect  scale  relation  to  every  other  part. 
If  some  one  feature  is  unduly  prominent  or  so  undersized 
that  it  loses  its  functional  power  or  fails  to  play  its  part 
in  the  construction  of  a  significant  form,  or  to  conform 
to  the  rule  of  unity  in  scale,  he  will  then  discover  it. 

Having  looked  over  each  article,  one  should  see  these 
different  articles  as  they  relate  to  each  other;  and  more 
important  still,  should  consider  whether  the  single  ar- 
ticles of  furniture  are  too  large  or  too  small  for  the  room 
in  which  they  are  placed. 

It  often  happens  that  assembling  many  horizontal 
pieces  of  furniture  in  a  room  which  is  as  tall  as  it  is 
wide  or  long  creates  a  very  queer  feeling.  The  same 
feeling  would  be  created  in  the  room  if  all  the  articles 
it  contained  were  vertical  in  their  effect. 

To  understand  how  to  make  a  room  look  larger  or 
smaller  than  it  is,  is  to  help  know  how  to  choose  furniture 
in  correct  scale  relationships — first,  to  the  room  itself, 
102 


SCALE,  MOTIFS  AND  TEXTURES 

and  then  to  every  oilier  article  with  which  it  must  be 
associated.  v  Constant  care  is  necessary  to  determine 
anything  like  a  reasonable  standard  of  scale  relationship 
unless  one  is  trained  through  years  of  study  by  either 
drawing,  measuring  or  calculating  in  some  way  the 
exact  relation  of  details  as  they  have  to  do  with  each 
other  in  the  construction  of  any  unit. 

In  analyzing  the  concept  or  mental  picture  one  has 
of  any  objed  which  he  sees  or  sound  which  he  hears,  he 
is  quite  likely  to  forget  that  consciousness  is  the  result 
of  impressions  received  in  five  ways.  These  five  ways, 
represented  by  the  live  senses — sight,  hearing,  touch, 
smell,  and  taste — are  the  avenues  through  which  our 
ideas  or  impressions  of  external  things  come. 

Some  persons  see  more  correctly  than  they  hear; 
others  hear  more  correctly  than  they  see;  many  gain  a 
large  part  of  their  ideas  of  objects  from  the  tactile  sense, 
or  the  sense  of  touch. 

We  are  quite  likely  to  believe  that  all  ideas  come  from 
I  he  sense  of  sight,  if  we  sec  more  correctly  than  we  hear, 
<»r  gain  ideas  more  easily  that  way  than  by  any  other. 
To  all  persons  many  ideas  come  originally  through  the 
sense  of  touch.  This  fact  has  given  to  all  visual  objects 
a  quality  which  we  call  texture.  That  is,  because  we 
have  touched  a  round  object  some  time  and  acquired 
the  idea  of  rotundity,  we  see  an  object  as  round,  men- 
tally, when  one  is  presented  to  the  sense  of  sight.  The 
quality  of  roughness,  smoothness,  flexibility,  rigidity, 
and  similar  qualities,  were  first  acquired  through  the 
sense  of  touch. 

A  burlap  cloth  looks  rougher  than  an  India  silk; 
chiffon  looks  more  flexible  than  taffeta;  oak  appears 

103 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

coarser,  firmer  and  more  rugged  than  mahogany  or 
boxwood;  olive  wood  has  a  silk-faced  look;  Italian  wal- 
nut approaches  this  but  still  shows  traces  of  grain, 
making  it  somewhat  coarser  because  of  this. 

A  tightly  woven  linen  looks  and  feels  firm,  more  de- 
cided, harder,  less  yielding  and  less  graceful  in  its  possi- 
bilities than  charmeuse  silk,  the  qualities  of  which  are 
exactly  opposite  to  those  described. 

Wood,  textiles,  metals,  potteries  and  all  made  objects 
have  a  quality  known  as  texture  which  is  fundamental 
in  the  idea  of  harmony  between  objects  which  are  to  be 
used  together.  It  must  not  be  understood  that  all 
things  that  are  to  be  used  together  must  have  precisely 
the  same  texture  feeling.  If  they  did,  the  result  would 
be  a  monotonous  textile  composition.  Consistent  va- 
riety, however,  must  obtain. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  wood  in  a  room  has  the 
feeling  of  oak,  the  hangings  the  feeling  of  chiffon  or 
charmeuse,  the  rug  the  texture  of  hemp  or  heavy  wool, 
while  the  ornaments  represent  the  texture  of  bisque  or 
Sevres  ware,  there  can  be  little  hope  of  textural  har- 
mony in  the  composition.  To  be  sure,  putting  these 
in  the  right  colour  may  lessen  the  textural  significance, 
since  scaling  them  properly  and  pleasingly  makes  the 
textural  difference  less  noticeable.  To  arrange  them  in 
perfect  composition  helps  to  make  good  effects  out  of 
bad  ones.  A  complete  criticism  or  analysis  of  a  situa- 
tion can  never  be  made  until  the  question  of  texture  has 
been  considered  either  intellectually  or  through  the 
sense  of  feeling. 

Some  people,  who  are  sensitive  enough,  know  imme- 
diately when  textures  are  too  unrelated  to  be  harmoni- 
104 


S<  AI.K,  MOTIFS  AM)  TEXT1  RES 

ous.  More,  however,  are  oblivious  to  this  distinction 
and  cannot  remedy  even  the  simplest  inconsistency 
because  they  are  unable  to  see  what  is  wrong.  There 
is,  of  course,  a  third  class— those  who  never  know  any- 
thing is  wrong,  and  this  discussion  may  serve  to  awaken 
in  such  at  least  a  spirit  of  investigation. 

To  show  how  important  the  cultivation  of  this  sensi- 
tiveness  is,  let  me  remind  you  that  there  are  certain 
countries  in  which  the  development  of  the  tactile  sense 
is  considered  so  important  that  special  lessons  arc  given 
in  the  following  way:  all  children,  until  they  reach  the 
ages  of  twelve  or  fourteen  years,  are  put  in  a  class, 
blindfolded,  and  led  to  tables  on  which  arc  placed,  in 
mixed  piles,  pieces  of  straw  braid  varying  in  degrees 
of  textile  coarseness,  undressed  pieces  of  wood,  differ- 
ent qualities  of  lace,  silk  and  other  textiles,  feathers, 
soft  and  stiff,  and  materials  of  various  kinds  which  one 
is  likely  to  encounter  in  furnishing  a  house  or  clothing 
the  body. 

Children  are  asked  to  select  a  wood  and  a  silk  that  feel 
right  together,  then  to  add  to  these  something  in  metal 
or  pottery,  a  piece  of  lace,  a  feather,  a  bit  of  straw, 
or  other  material,  until  they  have  found,  by  feeling, 
such  things  as  they  consider  texturally  harmonious. 
With  the  bandage  removed,  they  then  compare  what 
they  have  chosen  by  feeling  with  what  they  would 
choose  by  sight,  and  are  so  led  to  sense  relationships 
in  these  combinations.  If  this  training  is  continued 
for  some  time,  it  is  clear  that  the  habit  must  be  formed 
of  recognizing  relationships,  as  well  as  of  investigating 
those  relationships  before  accepting  anything  as  good. 
After  a  time,  of  course,  this  becomes  an  unconscious 

105 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

process.  No  process  of  analysis  should  be  a  conscious 
one  when  it  has  reached  the  stage  of  development 
where  it  can  be  made  a  part  of  the  unconscious  or  sub- 
conscious self.  Only  when  these  things  are  a  part  of 
the  subconscious  self  are  they  really  effective  in  de- 
veloping the  art  idea. 

Training  the  mind  to  sense  one  quality  at  a  time, 
and  that  thoroughly,  is  a  step  in  the  development  of 
the  final  idea.  When,  however,  the  perception  of  this 
quality  has  become  a  habit  it  is  time  to  sense  with  like 
accuracy  the  next  quality,  then  the  next  and  the  next, 
and  so  on,  until  one  unconsciously  feels  a  good  and 
correct  thing  and,  equally,  is  able  to  decide  at  once 
when  a  thing  is  not  right  or  correct,  or  that  this,  that 
or  the  other  quality  is  wrong  in  feeling.  The  value  of 
this  viewpoint  to  the  interior  decorator,  or  to  the  per- 
son who  would  appreciate  art  in  any  applied  form,  is 
absolutely  immeasurable.  Only  the  genius  can  appre- 
ciate, create  and  criticise  in  any  field,  but  in  any  one 
may  be  developed  to  a  considerable  degree  the  ability 
to  appreciate,  to  create  and  to  criticise,  if  he  accepts 
one  thing  at  a  time  and  trains  himself  to  perceive  cor- 
rectly. 

A  right  application  of  this  textural  sense  will  show 
that  one  cannot  put  olive  wood  and  antique  oak  in 
the  same  unit  without  at  least  a  considerable  manip- 
ulation of  space  between  them.  Burlap  and  chiffon 
will  not  enter  harmoniously  into  a  texture  scheme,  even 
if  they  are  both  made  of  silk  and  have  the  same  colour. 
It  will  be  much  harder  to  harmonize  them  if  one  hap- 
pens to  be  done  in  cheap  cotton  and  the  other  in  ex- 
pensive silk  while  their  colours  differ.  Pieces  of  orna- 
106 


SCALE.  MOTIFS  AN!)  TEXTURES 

ment  like  bisque  and  wrought  iron  are  by  their  textures 
somewhat  inharmonious,  bu1  not  more  so  than  are 
other  articles  of  furniture  or  upholstery  which  we  daily 
attempt  to  put  together. 

This  description  of  texture  is  not  meant  to  he  com- 
plete. It  is  intended  simply  to  arouse  in  the  mind  of 
the  reader  a  realization  of  the  importance  of  recognizing 
this  quality  and  its  power  in  the  artistic  concept.  It 
may  also  bring  about  a  consciousness  of  harmony  in 
texture  or  its  lack. 

Before  leaving  the  general  fundamentals  of  this  sub- 
ject for  the  historic  and  specific  ones,  it  is  essential 
to  have  a  common  perception  of  what  is  meant  by 
motifs  in  decoration.  It  is  sometimes  easier  to  see  the 
significance  of  this  if  one  thinks  first  of  the  motif  as  it 
appears  in  musical  composition.  A  short  passage  or 
two  perhaps  conveys,  or  is  meant  to,  the  fundamental 
theme  or  idea  around  which  the  composition  is  built. 
To  the  person  wdio  understands  music  this  short  passage 
is  the  key  or  cue  and  is  the  source  of  the  enlargements, 
l  lie  broadenings,  the  accessories  and  the  tracings  of  all 
that  comes  after  it. 

One  sees  the  same  thing  in  a  literary  composition. 
There  must  be  a  theme  upon  which  to  write,  a  motif 
around  which  all  parts  of  the  composition  are  woven. 
In  decoration  there  must  also  be  a  theme  or  motif,  a 
something  which  expresses  the  fundamental  idea  but 
which  i>  changed,  enlarged,  broadened,  coloured,  cut, 
added  to,  and  finally,  with  all  its  parts,  woven  into  a 
decorative  whole. 

Tin-  decorative  motif  as  it  refers  to  ornament  may 
be  -aid   to  originate   in  one  of  two  sources:    the  first 

107 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

source,  nature,  is  one  from  which  many  periods  have 
taken  their  inspiration  and  which  some  periods  have 
misused,  since  by  their  treatment  in  materials  nature 
lost  its  own  individuality  and  was  misrepresented  in  the 
attempt  to  make  decoration  nature. 

On  the  other  hand,  nature  did  not  become  decoration. 
As  Goethe  has  said,  "Art  is  art  because  it  is  not  na- 
ture." Therefore,  to  become  art  or  decoration,  na- 
ture must  lose  its  fundamental  characteristics.  This  is 
one  of  the  most  difficult  things  to  grasp  in  the  whole 
realm  of  decorative  art.  So  thoroughly  are  people — 
and  it  is  right  that  they  should  be — imbued  with  a  love 
for  nature  as  nature,  that  it  is  impossible  for  them  to 
leave  nature  to  nature's  realm  and  to  realize  that  nature 
cannot,  as  nature,  be  art,  since  nature  is  God's  realm  and 
art  is  man's. 

It  is  man's  function  to  select  from  nature  bits  of  the 
great  whole  and  to  arrange  them  for  his  needs  in  an  ar- 
tistic way.  This  he  may  do  in  his  garden,  his  grounds, 
or  in  a  vase  on  his  library  table,  but  it  is  not  his  func- 
tion in  foreign  materials  to  attempt  to  make  his  garden 
or  his  grounds  or  his  vase  of  flowers  look  as  they  would 
look  or  did  look  when  they  were  created  in  their  own 
natural  environment  as  a  part  of  the  scheme  of  nature 
rather  than  of  man's  adaptation  of  it.  So  long,  there- 
fore, as  a  rose  is  a  rose,  whether  it  is  in  the  garden  or  on 
the  table,  it  looks  practically  the  same;  but  its  appear- 
ance is  very  different  as  a  rose,  or  as  one  of  two  or  three 
roses,  in  a  vase  on  the  table,  from  what  it  was  as  one 
of  five  hundred  or  a  thousand  on  a  bush,  where  the  en- 
vironment of  the  bush  had  also  its  effect. 

This  is  not  so  hard  to  see,  however,  as  the  next 
108 


-  _  : 


3  -s  j  &, 


in 
t  *  g 


SCALE,  MOTIFS  AND  TEXTURES 

Step  in  which  the  rose  is  to  be  translated  into  a  carpet, 
a  damask  or  a  painted  dish.  While  it  is  possible  for 
the  rose  t<>  become  decorative  in  the  vase,  it  is  impos- 
sible for  it  to  be  so  if  man  attempts  to  create  a  rose, 
exactly  as  God  created  it,  and  do  SO  with  wool,  silk 
or  china. 

To  be  sure,  the  wax  flowers  of  fifty  years  ago  were 
nearer  like  nature  than  the  hair  ones  of  seventy-five 
years  ago  or  the  shell  ones  of  one  hundred  years  ago, 
but,  for  my  part,  of  the  three  T  believe  the  shell  ones 
to  be  the  most  decorative,  for  they,  al  least,  had  the 
distinction  of  not  looking  like  that  which  they  were  not. 
As  sincerity  is  the  first  principle  of  art,  I  sec  in  them 
some  possibility  of  decorative  effect. 

Nature,  then,  is  the  first  source  from  which  deco- 
rative ornament  has  been  drawn,  and  such  ornament  is 
called  naturalistic  ornament.  Volumes  could  be  written 
on  what  has  happened  in  every  field  of  art  expression 
when  nations  have  drawn  their  ideals  from  aaturalism. 
Then  idealism  has  given  place  to  realism,  symbolism 
to  naturalism,  while  spirituality  and  sestheticism  have 
given  place  to  materialism  and  sensualized  nature. 

This  is  not  the  place  to  discuss  the  philosophy  of 
the  naturalistic  ornament,  but  it  readily  will  be  seen 
what  happens  when  a  nation  has  reached  a  point  where 
its  natural  life  interests  find  their  besl  expression  in 
purely  naturalistic  ornamental  forms.  Perhaps  one 
mighl  cite  the  Roman  Empire,  the  high  period  of  the 
French  Renaissance,  the  naturalistic  Victorian  period 
in  England,  and  the  Mack  walnut  and  painted  china 
periods  in  the  1  (hited  States. 

The  second  source  for  ornament   is  found  in  the  ab- 

109 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

stract  idea.  The  Greeks,  through  centuries  of  evolu- 
tion, produced  ornament  of  pure  form.  Its  beauty  is 
in  its  proportion,  in  the  exquisite  relationships  of  ab- 
stract sizes,  shapes  and  lines.  It  never  was  nature 
and  never  purported  to  be.  Its  charm,  which  is  classic, 
lies  in  its  impersonality  or  abstraction  and  in  its  ex- 
quisite abstract  relationships. 

The  Mohammedans  evolved  for  religious  reasons  an 
Arabesque  system  of  ornament  in  which  no  natural 
motif  is  found.  Its  surface  charm,  which  is  undeniable, 
is  due  to  the  intricate  relationships  of  abstract  motifs 
in  which  naturalism  has  played  no  part  and  nature 
has  not  been  defamed.  Other  periods,  following  these 
two  early  ones,  have  also  developed  abstract  ornament 
which  never  was  and  never  purported  to  be  natural  in 
its  origin. 

These  two  sources,  symbolically  and  decoratively, 
are  the  well  springs  out  of  which  human  ingenuity 
has  created  ornament  shapes  through  all  ages.  Man's 
love  for  nature  and  nature's  forms  of  expression,  to- 
gether with  his  religious  ideals  which  connect  natural 
objects  with  the  divine  idea,  has  introduced  nearly 
always  into  the  art  of  nations  animal  and  plant  forms 
as  a  part  of  their  decorative  plan. 

The  ancient  Egyptians  used  the  human  figure,  birds, 
animals,  and  trees,  each  representing  an  externalized 
divinity  as  a  part  of  their  hieroglyphic  scheme.  They 
treated  these  objects  in  flat  single  tones  drawn  without 
perspective  and  modified  in  form,  size  and  shape  in 
such  a  way  that  they  fitted  rather  pleasingly  together 
and  assumed  a  somewhat  decorative  appearance. 

The  Assyrians  were  wont  to  use  chariots,  human 
110 


SCALE,  MOTIFS  AND  TEXTURES 

beings  and  implements  of  war  to  illustrate  their  caste 
systems  and  various  social  forms  in  lias  relief.  In  this 
manifestation  of  their  art  they  used  many  of  nature's 
symbols. 

The  danger  came  when  realism  demanded  a  perfecl 
exposition  in  pictorial  effect  of  every  detail  as  it  was, 
rat  her  than  as  it  should  be  to  suit  the  conditions  under 
which  it  was  to  he  used.  At  times  certain  nations  have 
appreciated  the  relation  of  the  decorative  motif  to  the 
material  in  which  it  was  to  be  rendered.  In  Gothic 
tapestries  ornameni  was  arranged  dccoratively.  The 
decadent  Italian  Renaissance  conceived  tapestries  only 
as  a  picture  of  social  life,  and  it  lost  almost  entirely  its 
decorative  effect. 

The  translation  of  the  rose  or  the  lily  onto  the  ma- 
terial of  a  carpet,  wall  paper,  or  a  plate  is  impossible 
unless  the  rose  lie  modified  into  the  feeling  or  meaning 
of  the  material  in  which  it  is  to  appear.  I  believe  it 
was  Ruskin  who  said  that  "Conventionalization  is  the 
translation  of  nature  into  man's  material."  A  con- 
ventionalized motif  is  that  decorative  motif  which  has 
been  so  modified  in  shape,  size,  colour  and  proportion 
that  it  is  exactly  suited  to  the  material  in  which  it  is 
rendered. 

The  significant  fact  to  grasp  in  this  matter  is  the 
difference  between  a  motif  which  attempts  to  picture 
details  which  are  beyond  its  power  to  portray,  and  which 
are  non-essential,  and  one  that  seeks  to  relate  itself 
perfectly  to  the  material  in  which  it  is  expressed  while 
it  suggests  rather  than  depicts  those  details  which  every 
intelligent  person  knows  exist. 

Conventionalized  motifs,  then,  are  motifs  which  can 

111 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

exist  in  any  material  but  not  in  nature,  and  a  desire  for 
a  perfectly  naturalistic  picture  in  these  things  seems  un- 
believable in  a  civilized  people. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  family  of  any  culture  in  this 
country  that  does  not  believe  some  one  Madonna  to 
be  a  beautiful  picture.  Perhaps  the  Mona  Lisa  has  as 
large  a  number  of  admirers  as  any  portrait  in  existence. 
It  is  well  to  ask  ourselves  how  many  pictures  of  the 
chosen  Madonna  or  the  Mona  Lisa  we  should  be  willing 
to  have  in  our  living-room  or  our  bedroom  at  the  same 
time.  I  am  sure  no  one  would  choose  more  than  one. 
How,  then,  can  people  consistently  desire  several  hun- 
dred worse  pictures  of  roses,  or  other  flowers  badly  drawn, 
badly  arranged,  and  badly  carried  out  in  material?  It 
needs  but  a  little  thought  to  lead  one  to  see  that  only 
in  masterpieces  of  historic  art  has  there  been  an  ap- 
proach to  the  use  of  nature  in  a  realistic  way  so  that  the 
result  is  an  artistic  and  decorative  effect. 

Perhaps  this  is  the  best  place  in  this  discussion  to  call 
attention  to  the  necessity  for  care  in  the  selection  of 
different  motifs  that  are  to  go  into  the  same  room. 
It  is  easy  to  see  that  varying  degrees  of  naturalistic 
treatment  and  conventional  arrangement  in  rugs,  chairs, 
hangings,  wall  coverings,  etc.,  would  inevitably  intro- 
duce into  a  room  impossible  combinations  of  decorative 
ornament. 

The  ornament  of  the  rug,  which  is  usually  abstract, 
particularly  in  the  Oriental  types,  is  hard  to  harmonize 
with  conventional  Art  Nouveau  upholstery  and  hang- 
ings and  with  naturalistic  wall  paper.  The  abstract 
and  the  conventional  may  sometimes  appear  together 
if  neither  is  too  prominent.  The  very  conventional  and 
112 


:  s  < 


a  h  §  a 

5  =  £  c 

-  •-  -  2 
i  g  -§  g 

-  -  -  /-. 


3     .  - 


-    -    -  £ 

-  - 

g   55   O  C 

o  a  B  ? 


SCALE,  MOTIFS  AND  TEXTURES 

the  nearly  naturalistic  are  very  ugly  together.  The 
purely  naturalistic  should  never  appear,  and  the  ab- 
stracl  is  rather  formal. 

The  scale  in  these  motifs,  SO  far  as  the  room  unit  is 
concerned,  is  of  fundamental  importance.  Often  a 
room  is  spoiled  in  effect  by  contrasting  some  very  tiny, 
insignificant  and  weak  motif  with  a  large,  strong  and 
prominent  one.  Even  if  the  furniture  and  of  her  objects 
are  well  scaled,  the  motifs  may  destroy  the  scale  unit  of 
the  room  as  well  as  its  arrangement. 

The  more  one  studies  ornament  the  more  he  realizes 
that  nations,  peoples  and  eras  have  expressed  new 
types  of  civilization  by  the  source,  the  treatment  and 
the  application  of  its  motifs  for  decorative  purposes. 
We  are  living  in  an  age  when  all  these  vast  resources  are 
at  our  command.  The  trouble  with  us  is  that  we  ap- 
proach them  with  the  idea  that  each  must  be  good  under 
any  circumstances,  and  since  it  is  an  ornament  it  must 
be  a  decoration.  Then  if  we  approach  the  resources  of 
several  eras  at  the  same  lime,  each  expressing  an  in- 
dividual idea,  and  combine  their  products  without  care 
in  a  room,  an  inharmonious  aggregate  of  motifs  must  be 
the  result. 

In  this  field,  then,  of  decorative  ornament  there  can 
be  no  harmony  unless  there  is  understanding.  Belter 
by  far  a  perfectly  plain  textile,  rug  or  wall  yes,  and 
even  china  than  those  in  which  tin-  inharmonious  use 
of  motifs  as  to  source,  kind  and  treatment  destroys  the 
oi  herw  ise  unified  expression. 

One  caution  more  is  essential.  If  motifs  appear  in 
the  wall  cover  they  should  not  appear  in  the  hangings 
Or  llie  floor  in  any  considerable  prominence.     If  they 

113 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

appear  in  the  hangings  and  upholstery,  they  should 
not  appear  in  the  wall.  Moderation,  temperance  and 
restraint  in  the  use  of  decorative  motifs  are  the  strong- 
est correctives  for  ornate  and  badly  mixed  expression 
in  house  furnishing. 


114 


PART    II 


PART  II  CHAPTER  VI 

HISTORIC  ART  PERIODS  AND  THE  IDEAS 
WHICH  THEY  REPRESENT 

LIFE  is  action;  its  result  is  evolution,  and  out  of  this 
ceaseless  activity  comes  man's  universal  impulse  to 
create.  Mental  life  is  constantly  changing.  Environ- 
ment also  is  subject  to  constant  variation;  hence  man's 
needs  are  continually  presented  in  different  forms. 
Because  of  these  conditions,  both  physical  and  mental, 
man's  creative  impulse  finds  its  natural  outlet  in  the 
satisfaction  of  these  needs.  He  is  impelled  by  his  in- 
stinctive appetites  to  provide  for  himself  food,  drink, 
shelter  and  air.  By  his  mental  desires  he  is  urged  to 
create  such  things  as  will  satisfy  his  aesthetic  sense  or  his 
appetite  for  beauty,  which  is  as  universal  an  instinct  in 
man  as  are  the  physical  appetites. 

As  states  of  civilization  have  changed  and  different 
conditions  have  evolved  different  needs  man  has 
adapted  his  creative  work  to  the  approximate  satisfac- 
tion of  these  needs,  so  that  in  all  times  the  works  of  man 
have  spoken  eloquently  of  his  ideals,  his  interests,  his 
aecessii ies  and  his  desires. 

This  makes  art  objects,  so-called,  of  vital  human  in- 
teresl  to  him  who  sees  them  as  man's  psychological 
expression.  The  objects  of  art  that  remain  express  two 
distinct  elements  in  man's  life — fitness   for    use   and 

117 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

beauty.  Their  adaptability  to  our  needs  may  or  may 
not  be  expressed  in  their  fitness  for  their  own  time,  but 
the  degree  of  beauty  they  reveal  is  perceptible  now  and 
will  be  forever,  for  the  quality  of  beauty  is  eternal. 

There  are  two  ways  of  looking  at  a  period  in  art: 
first,  from  the  viewpoint  of  its  fitness,  or  the  fitness  of 
its  various  objects  to  fulfill  the  requirements  of  modern 
comfort  and  convenience.  While  an  art  object  may 
have  adequately  expressed  this  fitness  to  the  generation 
in  which  it  was  created,  it  is  often  quite  impossible  to 
satisfy  our  conception  of  fitness  with  the  same  object. 
Its  adaptation  without  loss  of  character  is  the  problem 
of  modern  usage. 

Looking  at  it  from  the  second  viewpoint,  an  art  period 
must  be  considered  with  regard  to  its  value  or  its  power 
as  a  decorative  expression  in  the  furnishing  of  a  modern 
house. 

A  due  regard  to  these  distinctions  will  ensure  such  a 
choice  and  arrangement  of  furnishings  of  any  period  as 
will  not  only  conform  to  modern  conditions,  but  will 
form  with  these  conditions  a  harmonious  unit.  This 
subject  will  be  further  considered  in  Part  III. 

History  is  a  record  of  life.  It  is  a  record  not  only  in 
words  but  in  stone,  metal,  wood  and  other  materials, 
and  takes  the  form  of  architecture,  sculpture,  ornament, 
furniture,  clothes  and  the  like.  We  learn  much  of  how 
the  Romans  lived  from  the  fragments  of  architecture 
which  are  left.  More  eloquent  than  words  are  Greek 
sculpture,  the  Gothic  Cathedral  and  the  French  palaces. 
In  no  way  can  the  ideals  and  practices  of  a  people  be  so 
definitely  embodied  as  in  those  objects  which  they  in 
their  time  create  to  represent  their  various  needs  and 
118 


HISTORIC  ART  PERIODS 

desires.  To  regard  history,  then,  as  a  mere  matter  of 
word  record  is  to  miss  entirely  the  intimate  relation  that 
exists  between  art  objects  and  the  people  who  create 
them.  This  viewpoint  of  periods  as  a  historical  ex- 
pression is  important  and  will  be  considered  throughout 
this  work. 

A  period  in  art  may  be  described  as  a  period  of  time 
in  which  one  dominant  influence  controlled  the  various 
expressions  of  some  nation's  life  interest.  Perhaps  no 
one  person  more  completely  dominated  the  art  of  any 
period  than  did  Louis  XIV  in  France.  The  political 
situation  which  he  created,  the  religious  ideas  which  he 
promulgated,  and  the  social  regime  which  grew  out  of 
his  ideas  and  practices  found  their  concrete  expression 
in  the  gorgeous,  pageant-like  forms  characterizing  the 
period  of  Louis  XIV.  This  expression  was  by  no  means 
a  crystallized  fact  in  the  early  days  of  the  reign  of  this 
sovereign,  neither  did  it  remain  intact  until  the  day  of 
his  death.  It  was  modified  by  outside  influences,  which 
perhaps  for  the  time  being  were  stronger  even  than  his 
or  those  of  his  associates  who  dominated  the  royal 
thought.  There  is  always  I  he  transition  from  the  last 
period  to  the  one  under  consideration,  and  the  transition 
from  the  considered  one  to  the  one  which  follows.  Each 
.,f  these  will  be  marked  by  conflicting  ideas. 

In  the  study  of  periods  it  is  mosl  desirable  that  one 
should  have  the  clearest  possible  conception  of  the  idea 
for  which  the  period  stands  when  it  is  at  its  highest 
degree  of  perfection.  Study  all  kinds  of  objects  made 
during  those  periods  for  the  discovery  of  common  ele- 
ments.  Analyze  those  elements  for  ideas  or  qualiti* 
which  they  represent  and  then  interpret  all  other  parts 

119 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

of  the  period  and  all  associated  periods  by  these  quality 
ideas,  rather  than  by  set  dates,  set  terms,  or  crystallized 
forms. 

In  discussing  a  period  one  must  always  consider  all 
that  has  gone  before,  that  is,  all  influences  that  are 
hereditary  and  that  have  affected  the  local  period  by 
contact.  Then  there  are  national  characteristics  in- 
fluencing the  period  creation,  individual  preferences  and 
desires  which  are  associated  with  the  dominating  per- 
son or  persons  of  that  period,  and  the  general  needs  of 
the  civilization  which,  after  all,  furnish  the  keynote  to 
the  art  of  every  well-defined  period. 

It  is  better  in  this  brief  discussion  to  take  the  broadest 
possible  conception  of  period  art  and  to  try  to  establish 
in  a  limited  way  a  relationship  between  man,  his  ideas 
or  aims,  and  the  materials  with  which  he  expresses  these. 
This  will  establish  at  least  a  fundamental  working  basis 
for  period  study  and  further  investigation. 

Eliminating  Asiatic  influences,  there  have  been, 
broadly  speaking,  three  great  manifestations  or  types 
of  expression  out  of  which  have  been  formulated  lesser 
ones  at  various  times  under  local  conditions.  Each  of 
these  three  dominating  influences  has  in  turn  been  pre- 
ponderant in  the  various  periods.  These  three  influ- 
ences may  be  named,  for  the  sake  of  clearness,  the 
Classic  or  Hellenic,  the  Gothic  or  Christian,  and  the 
Humanistic  or  Materialistic  Natural. 

In  the  working  out  of  these  three  ideas  man  has  been 
moved  or  impelled  to  create  by  three  distinct  impulses. 
The  highest  and  most  important  of  these  may  be  called 
the  religious  or  spiritual  impulse.  Because  of  his  desire 
to  embody  his  highest  ideals  of  religious  duty  we  have 


MEANING    OF   THE   GOTHIC   AND 
H  UMAN  [STIC    I  DMA  LS 

THE  SPIRIT,  FEELING,  OR  Ml  ININGOl  I  II  E  I  .<>  I  II  l>  VND  HUMANISTIC 
1M  II  EN<  ES  IS  I  III  1  «  ERE  EXPR]  SSI  D  IN  VI  \  II  III  ILS  I-  PERHAPS 
MOR]  CLEARL5  SHOWN  IN  PAINTING  IND  TAPESTR1  THAN  IN  \\1 
OTHER  FORM  OF  ART.  T1IK  IDEAL  SPIRIT1  \l.  DISREG  Mil)  OF  N  \  I  I  Re's 
LAWS  V.S  THE!  INFLUENCE  THE  APPETITES  \NH  SENSES  OF  MAN 
APPEARS  IN  GOTHIC  MM  EXPRESSIONS.  THIS  PERIOD  IN  [TS  [DEAL 
I-  llll  ECSTATIC,  EMOTIONAL,  [MAGINATIVE  EXPRESSION  O]  INI 
SPIRIT1  IL  NATURE  AS  IT  SEEKS  TO  Til  HOW  OFF  THE  NECESSITY  FOR 
MHII.KI  N.  I  in  VIATERIAL  LAW  IN  THE  EXPRESSION  OF  THE  SPIR- 
IT!   LL  OR  DIVINE  IDEA.       IT  DOES  NOT  SEEK  TO  BE  III   MAN   FIRST. 

THE  HUMANISTII  IDEAL  SEEKS  n>  ASSOCIATE  IN  \  RELATIVELY 
HARMONIOl  S  \\  \1  THE  PRIMAL  INTENSIONS  OI  SPIRIT  \NI)  \I  \  I  I  I;  I  \l. 
AS   I  III  1     \l;l.  EXPRESSED  IN   PHYSICAL  MATER1  M.. 

IN  THE  EARLIEST  STAGES,  WHERE  I  III  -I'll:  in  IL  ID]  \  H  \-  DOM] 
NANT,    THE    RESULTS    AUK     BEAUTIFUL    THOUGH    CLEARLY     IM\I\N. 

IN  THE  LATER  STAGES,  WHER]    -I  l.l     <.l;\ ITION  OF  TH]     SENSES 

I-  llll  ACCEPTED  PRACTICE,  THE  EXPRESSION  BECOMES  EXTRAVA- 
GANT, MIXED,  OVER  LUXURIOUS,  SENSUOUS,  NATURALISTIC  \Nh 
WHOLL1     MAT!  R]  Ml- I  IC. 

PRECISED     'llll  -I      3AME   QUALITIES     APPEAR     IN      ARCHITECTURE, 

M    I.N  I  I  I    RE,    I  III.    LESSER    MM-,    \  Nil   IN    llll     I      \NI)    I  III    N  IMF    N  I 

'■I  ORNAM1  NT.  I  III-  I-  I  i  in  I  IN  in  m  Nn  ONE  COl  NTRY,  Bl  I  I-  \ 
COMMON  INHERITANCE  01  M.l.  PEOPLE  POSSESSED  "I  THE  SAMI 
'HI    M  -. 


I.        \S     EAKL1     SIENESE   GOTHIC    MADONNA     \\l>    CHILD    EXPRESSING 

THE   SPIRITUAL   QUALITY    FIRST,    THEN      MM        1  -  I  II N    CHOICE 

ASH      \RRANGEMEN1      WITH     DISREGARD     FOR      nil.     PHYSICAL     LAWS 

Ol      ANATOMY,     IGE   MARKS     VND   SO-CA PRINCIPLES    "I      REPR1 

BENTATION.       THE  RESULT  AIMS  AT  A  SPIRITUAL  IDEAL  EX1 
THROl  '.II    \l  \  I  ERIAL. 


\\  EARL)  TAPESTR1  WITH  THE  GOTHK  -I'll:  I  I  \M>  \  DECORATIVE 
QUALIT1  \1"-l  APPARENT;  BUI  NIK  IMAGINATIVE,  CHIVALRIC, 
SECULAR  QUALITIES  BEAUTIFULLY  COMMINGLED  I  Ml  RESUL1  [3 
CHARMINGLY    DECORATIVE    VND  SUITABLE    fO  ITS  MATERIAL. 


V     PAINTING     WIIKII     ~IKi\\-     PLAINLY     THE     LINGERING 
Ol       REFINEMENT,      IMAGINATIVE       \M>      DECORATIVE      Ql    M.ITY      OF 

III)     GOT! H    \.     I'-'    I     EXPRESSING     FIRS1      1111.    IDI    \l.    CHARM    <  >F 

Mil     PAGAN  CLASSN     HUMANISM    VI    ITS  BEST. 


\    PAINTING    WHERE  THE 
\l  \\       SEN!  [MEN  I        I  HROI  GH 

Q1  AI.IIII-. 


-WVI 
hi  9IH  \KI-1. 


•  '.        \     LATER    TAPESTR1     IN    Willi  II    THK    HUMANIST!)      1 1  >  I 

I   Mill  \\|.       THE   -I  SSES    w:l.  SI   PR)  Ml  . 


HISTORIC  ART  PERIODS 

the  monuments  of  Egypt,  the  beautiful  temples  of  tiie 
Greeks,  and  the  cathedrals  of  the  Gothic  period. 

When  the  second,  or  political  impulse  prevails, 
man's  greatest  energy  is  bent  toward  the  creation  of 
imposing  public  structures  with  accessories  which  will 
embody  his  ideas  of  political  power  and  will  tend 
duly  to  impress  others  with  their  national  strength 
and  importance.  The  Roman  period  is  perhaps  a 
good  example  of  such  domination. 

The  third  impulse  to  create  is  found  in  man's  social 
ideal.  Whenever  the  social  idea  has  been  dominant— 
as  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  High  French  Renaissance 
— then  man's  energies  have  been  directed  toward  the 
creation  and  expression  of  all  those  things  which  social 
intercourse  and  refined  social  practice  seem  to  make 
essential. 

In  this  era  we  live  in  the  grasp  of  a  commercially 
social  impulse,  with  the  leading  idea,  commercial  ad- 
vancement, dominating  even  the  social  quality.  This, 
of  course,  is  the  lowest  and  most  inartistic  viewpoint 
possible,  since  the  creation  of  beautiful  things  demands 
a  love  for  those  things  which  is  stronger  than  any  mere 
material  gain  which  can  result  from  their  creation. 
The  art  standard  of  the  modern  period  is  in  consequence- 
less  sensitive,  less  clearly  defined  and  less  exalted  than 
perhaps  any  that  has  previously  existed. 

In  treating  of  the  three  great  influences — Hellenic, 
Gothic  and  Humanistic— it  is  essential  to  get  the 
clearest  possible  idea  of  what  each  of  these  periods 
sought  to  embody.  The  ancient  Greek  lived  for  cen- 
turies with  one  idea  in  mind — namely,  the  expression 
of  divinity  in  perfect  material  form.     Education  and 

121 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

practice  were  both  planned  to  develop  the  highest 
standards  and  the  highest  ideals  of  physical  expression 
in  the  human  body  and  in  all  material  forms  that  men 
produced.  Greek  statuary  did  not  happen  to  be  what 
it  is.  Each  piece  is  the  concrete  embodiment  of  an  idea, 
the  development  of  which  took  centuries  of  inheritance 
and  a  nation-wide  devotion  to  the  idea  that  beauty  is  God. 

Certain  qualities  must  be  held  supreme  in  conscious- 
ness in  order  to  bring  out  those  qualities  in  the  materials 
which  man  touches.  This  short  treatise  cannot  point 
out  the  analogies  which  exist  between  the  objects  of 
visual  art  and  the  literature  or  music  of  the  time,  but 
it  can  indicate  some  of  the  qualities  of  mind  necessary 
to  the  realization  of  this  perfect,  intellectual,  unemo- 
tional and  restrained  period  expression.  With  beauty 
and  truth  as  an  ideal  expressed  in  material,  the  Greek 
would  naturally  follow  in  ideal  at  least  the  same  plan 
in  the  development  of  the  body,  in  architecture,  in  or- 
nament, in  the  utensils  commonly  used  and,  in  short, 
in  all  things  which  he  handled. 

In  order  to  accomplish  this  perfect  representation  of 
material  beauty,  temperance  or  restraint  in  all  things 
is  a  fundamental  virtue.  "Never  anything  in  excess" 
is  the  law  which  makes  the  successful  handling  of  ma- 
terial objects  possible.  No  other  people  ever  came 
so  near  to  a  realization  of  this  ideal  as  did  the  Greek. 
Greek  expression  shows  restraint,  unemotional  expres- 
sion and  perfect  form.  These  qualities  are  readily 
seen  in  sculpture  but  should  be  just  as  apparent  in  the 
long  lines,  the  simple  arrangements,  the  perfect  adapta- 
tions and  the  consistent  combinations  in  architecture, 
ornament  and  the  lesser  arts. 
122 


HISTORIC  ART  PERIODS 

It  has  been  said  that  three  descriptive  words  are 
enough  to  summarize  the  Hellenic  Ideal  and  that, 
having  grasped  these  three  words  in  their  full  meaning, 
the  quality  of  everything  classic  may  he  tested  by  them. 

The  first  word  is  "simplicity. "  Whatever  savours  of 
unnecessary  display  is  entirely  foreign  to  the  Greek 
idea.     The  simplest  expression  when  adequate  is  always 

best. 

The  second  word  is  "sincerity."  How  terribly  have 
the  nations  of  the  earth  departed  from  this  idea,  even 
in  their  adaptations  of  classic  art.  The  ancient  column 
with  its  beautiful  proportions  and  wonderful  materials 
was  created  as  an  honest  support  to  a  weight  above. 
The  juttings,  the  friezes  and  the  architraves  are  r-vcu- 
tial  elements  in  the  decorative  idea  of  the  buildings 
but  are  first  a  part  of  the  constructive  necessities  of 
the  building.  To  superimpose  these  parts  in  stucco> 
plaster  or  tin.  upon  a  steel  structure  or  a  brick  wall,  is 
not  only  a  defamation  of  the  noble  Greek  idea  but  is  a 
farce  in  the  field  of  modern  architecture  and  decoration. 

The  third  word  is  "consistency."  This  quality  may 
he  a  little  more  difficult  of  perception  at  this  point 
hut  not  so  difficull  that  it  may  not  be  grasped  for 
application  to  all  cases.  When  the  Greek  designed 
a  column  he  considered  this  column  a  unit,  and  its 
shaft    and    capital    were    made    in    the    same    material, 

appearing  as  one  piece  when  complete.  If  statuary 
occupied  space  within  the  gable  of  the  temple  or  in  spe- 
cially designed  niches,  this  statuary  seemed  to  take  its 
place  iii  size.  s.al<-,  form  and  line  within  its  enclosure  in 
such  a  way  that  the  building  as  a  unit  expressed  repose. 
Much  of  this  was  due  to  the  perfect   scale  relation  be- 

12S 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

tween  the  enclosures  and  the  figures.  Ornament,  in 
consistent  amounts,  was  consistently  applied  in  the 
right  places.  During  the  highest  development  of  the 
Greek  ideal  violations  of  the  principle  of  beauty 
through  inconsistent  relationships  are  not  found. 

It  is  a  grave  mistake  to  believe  that  all  things  are 
classic  which  seem  to  represent  the  forms  or  shapes  or 
motifs  of  the  classic  period.  Nothing  can  be  further 
from  the  classic  ideal  than  the  misuse  of  the  three 
orders,  the  various  decorative  motifs,  and  the  Greek 
figures  as  they  are  used  in  this  country  to-day,  although  a 
great  change  for  the  better  is  noticeable  since  the  invasion 
of  this  field  by  the  great  architect,  Stanford  White. 

It  is  not  in  the  copy  of  these  forms  that  the  classic 
idea  is  expressed.  It  is  in  the  sincere  and  consistent 
choice  and  application  of  them  as  well  as  their  adapta- 
tion to  period  needs.  The  artist  should  realize  and 
make  a  part  of  his  mental  equipment  the  wonderful 
idealism  as  shown  in  abstract  proportion  that  domi- 
nates all  Hellenic  expression. 

From  time  to  time  great  men  in  all  the  fields  of 
period  expression  have  studied  the  classic  for  inspira- 
tion, and  their  work  has  been  just  as  near  the  classic 
ideal  as  their  realization  of  the  qualities  of  form  which 
the  classic  expressed  would  permit.  The  adaptation 
of  the  classic  has  been  influenced  in  all  times,  more  or 
less,  by  local  conditions  as  well  as  by  the  state  of  mind 
of  the  man  who  interpreted  the  idea. 

The  sensing  of  fundamental  quality  in  period  study 
is  the  only  way  to  gain  an  understanding  of  what  periods 
are    and    to    become   anything  but   a   slavish  parrot 
copyist,  always  missing  the  essential  idea. 
124 


HISTORIC  ART  PERIODS 

The  second  great  art  influence  came  from  the  l>irth 
of  the  Christian  religion.  The  pagan  Greek  had  in 
mind  the  idealization  of  the  body  and  other  material 
things.  The  Christian  religion  took  "no  thought 
for  the  body,  what  it  should  eal  or  drink,  or  where- 
withal it  should  be  clothed."  1 1  directed  its  thought 
energy  to  tin'  soul  and  its  preparation  for  a  future 
state. 

This  difference  of  ideal  brought  about  the  won- 
derful change  in  art  expression  which  found  its  full 
flower  in  the  Gothic  cathedral  of  the  thirteenth  and 
fourteenth  centuries.  To  grasp  anything  of  the  mean- 
ing of  this  ingenious,  imaginative  and  emotional  sym- 
bolic art  is  the  work  of  years.  Well-focussed  action 
broughl  about  an  expression  of  the  ecclesiastical  idea, 
first  moderately,  bu1  finally  in  the  flamboyant  Gothic 
spirit.  All  feeling,  joy  and  gratitude  became  one  con- 
centrated mass  or  hallelujah  expression  in  which  stone, 
metal,  wood  and  glass  vie  with  each  other  to  express 
the  wonderful  story.  As  this  period  reaches  its  highest 
point  of  development  it  seems  almost  to  eliminate 
material  and  to  leave  a  vast  network  or  lacelike  fabric 
of  symbolic  spiritual  expression. 

To  attempt  to  compare  this  great  period  with  the 
classic  b  impossible  because  of  the  entirely  differenl 
point  of  view.  To  endeavour  to  unite  the  two  in  spirit 
or  expression  without  or  within  the  house  is  well-nigh 
impossible.  Each  has  its  place  and  each  is  the  expres- 
sion of  a  type  of  life  which  has  never  keen  repeated  and 
probably  never  \\  ill  be.  To  restore  or  rebuild  a  Gothic 
cathedra]  under  the  conditions  of  modern  thought  is  as 
impossible  as  for  man  to  create  a  world.     But  one  or 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

two  persons  in  this  century  have  made  even  an  ap- 
proach to  such  an  achievement. 

The  period  last  discussed  used  nature  and  naturalistic 
motifs  as  symbolic  of  Christian  ideas,  and  treated  them 
in  a  conventional  manner  more  or  less  suited  to  the 
material  into  which  they  were  translated.  This  treat- 
ment, however,  was  not  as  conventional  as  it  might 
have  been  had  the  state  of  civilization  and  the  methods 
of  expression  in  other  fields  been  developed  as  they 
have  been  since. 

The  third  influence,  which  I  have  called  the  human- 
istic influence,  is  the  one  which  proceeded  from  the 
Italian  Renaissance  and  has  been  a  ruling  factor  in 
the  development  of  all  subsequent  period  ideas.  This 
influence  was  nature  with  all  its  manifestations  in  the 
life  of  man,  affecting  all  those  things  which  he  uses. 
It  differed  from  the  Hellenic  idea  in  just  this  particular: 
the  Greek  saw  nature  as  God's  expression  of  beauty  in 
creation;  the  Humanist  saw  nature  as  belonging  to 
man  for  man's  personal  gratification. 

The  danger  in  this  viewpoint  can  be  appreciated 
by  the  simplest  mind.  So  long  as  man's  thought  was 
Gothic  or  Hellenic,  there  was  no  risk  in  the  use  of  nature 
in  all  its  forms,  so  soon,  however,  as  the  humanistic 
idea  took  firm  root  its  abuse  began.  The  ascetic,  frag- 
ile, spiritual  beauty  of  the  Gothic  period  gave  way 
before  the  naturalistic,  human  ideal  of  the  High  Ren- 
aissance. The  luxurious  display  of  nature's  symbols 
perished  in  the  decadent  conception  of  those  who  saw 
in  sensuous  beauty  only  an  appetite  gratification. 

This  decadent  naturalism  has  served  as  a  source  of 
inspiration  for  artists  in  various  periods  and  for  those  in 
126 


HISTORIC  ART  PERIODS 

this  country  who  have  been  addicted  to  the  selection  of 
such  materials  as  the  only  expressions  of  art. 

If  one  remembers  the  two  viewpoints  of  nature  dis- 
cussed above  and  the  expression  of  spiritual  beauty  in 
which  the  Gothic  stands  supreme,  lie  will  perceive  the 
three  influences  which  have  dominated  men  in  the  evo- 
lution of  the  so-called  periods  in  art  history. 

No  attempt  will  be  made  in  this  book  to  treat  of  the 
Italian  Renaissance  which  is  a  subject  far  too  broad 
to  attempt  in  a  small  space.  It  may  be  possible,  how- 
ever, to  suggest  the  filtration  of  these  three  great  influ- 
ences through  Italian  life,  which  really  gives  the  key  to 
the  interpretation  of  all  modern  periods  in  France, 
England  and  the  United  States. 

The  Italian  Renaissance  expressed  itself  in  three 
great  epochs— namely,  the  Early.  High  and  Decadent. 

The  Early  period  was  the  expression  of  humanism  in 
Greek  forms  filtered  through  a  Gothic  consciousness. 
The  result  was  a  dignified,  strong,  sincere,  consistent 
return  to  nature  and  to  the  structural  principles  that 
governed  the  expression  of  man's  requirements.  This 
period  is  wonderfully  beautiful  in  its  conception  and  in 
its  material  expression. 

The  High  period  represents  the  same  idea,  but  the 
civilization  of  that  time  called  for  a  wider  social  expres- 
sion, a  more  vigorous  and  versatile  life,  more  luxury 
and  a  less  formal  adherence  to  the  traditions  of  the 
past. 

The  Decadent  period  abandoned  itself  to  fantastic 
conceptions  and  combinations  of  structural  and  dec- 
orative objects.  Consequently  impossible  version  of 
nature's  forms  appeared,  a   various  and  incongruous 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

treatment  of  these  ensued,  while  structural  proprieties 

were  disregarded. 

The  inordinate  display  of  this  period  is  responsible  in 
no  small  degree  for  the  tawdriness  and  vulgarity  that 
has  characterized  much  of  our  social  expression  for  the 
last  one  hundred  years.  If  this  is  not  directly  traceable 
to  the  third  period  of  the  Renaissance  it  is  so  indirectly, 
for  the  worst  phases  of  this  period  that  showed  them- 
selves during  the  reigns  of  Louis  XIV  and  Louis  XV 
have  been  admired  and  frequently  copied.  Being  ac- 
cepted as  representing  the  best  in  French  art,  they  have 
had  an  influence  out  of  proportion  to  their  merit.  The 
average  tourist,  and  in  fact  some  so-called  artists,  have 
found  in  the  examples  of  this  decadent  style  their  only 
source  of  enjoyment  in  Italy  and  France,  and  have  re- 
turned to  us  not  even  guessing  the  importance  of  what 
they  have  missed  in  the  less  obtrusive  and  more  refined 
expressions  of  the  same  period. 

The  value  of  knowing  thoroughly  the  fundamentals 
of  any  period  may  be  recognized  through  the  analogy  in 
learning  a  language,  in  the  study  of  music,  and  in  the 
acquisition  of  knowledge  in  any  field  where  expression 
is  possible  to  us.  From  time  to  time,  in  the  discussion 
of  various  periods,  it  will  be  necessary  to  speak  of  these 
Italian  periods  and  of  the  three  great  influences  which 
made  them,  referring  to  them  by  name  or  by  the  qualities 
for  which  they  stand.  The  principal  reason  for  having 
treated  them  in  this  way  is  to  arouse  in  the  mind  of  the 
reader  the  desire  to  study  them  carefully  before  attempt- 
ing to  know  later  periods  or  trying  to  interpret  them 
as  mere  matters  of  structural  form  and  ornamental 
treatment. 
128 


HISTORIC  ART  PERIODS 

The  more  thoroughly  one  realizes  the  qualities  which 
each  period  and  each  part  of  it  represents,  the  more  ade- 
quately is  lie  informed  as  to  the  material  from  which  he 
may  draw  in  solving  his  problem,  whatever  il  may  be. 
'1  he  longer  one  .studies  the  more  convinced  he  is  that, 
after  all,  the  really  vital  things  are  very  simple  and  few 
in  number.  The  failure  on  the  pari  of  any  of  us  to 
create  a  truly  adequate  expression  of  our  ideas  is  largely 
due  to  the  fact  that  we  have  missed  in  our  research  and 
.study  the  fundamental  truths  which  each  object  cm- 
bodies. 

To  summarize,  then,  lei  us  remember  that  a  period 
has  no  positively  definite  t  ime  limit  marked  by  the  birth 
and  death  of  anybody,  but  that  three  great  ideas  have 
dominated  peoples,  and  the  expression  of  these  ideas  has 
been  their  art. 

Let  us  also  remember  that  each  period  at  its  highest 
point  of  development  is  the  most  adequate  possible 
expression  of  the  ideas  which  dominate  that  era.  It  is 
necessary  to  keep  in  mind  the  difference  between  the 
form  and  the  spirit  of  a  thing.  If  the  external  form 
only  is  understood,  one  never  knows  whether  a  copy 
expresses  the  idea  or  not.  It  may  vary  in  proportion 
and  relations  in  such  a  way  as  to  have  a  totally  different 
meaning  from  that  which  it  expressed  when  originally 
created.  The  qualities  which  the  original  embodied 
are  permanent  and,  whether  the  same  forms  or  different 
ones  are  used  in  the  new  creation,  the  qualities  of  the 
old  should  be  apparent. 

With  these  things  clearly  in  mind,  we  may  look  briefly 
at  the  expressions  of  the  French  and  English  periods, 
and  then  we  should  try  to  gee  the  relation  of  these  to 

ISO 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

our  own  clearly  defined  Colonial  period.  Thus  we  may- 
consider  the  modern  problem,  which  is  not  the  copy  or 
reproduction  of  any  period  but  the  knowledge  of  the 
forces  and  qualities  of  all  periods  and  the  adaptation  of 
these  to  modern  social,  political  and  religious  require- 
ments. 


130 


PART  II  CHAPTER  VII 

THE      FRENCH      RENAISSANCE     AND     THE 
FRENCH    STYLES 


GOTHIC  art  was  indigenous  to  the  soil  of  France.  By 
temperament,  association  and  practice  the  French  peo- 
ple were  the  logical  ones  to  accept,  mature  and  express 
the  Gothic  idea.  Unhampered  for  the  most  part  by 
classic  traditions,  unfettered  by  a  strong  national  ex- 
pression, and  still  in  a  somewhat  formative  state,  they 
accepted  in  the  tenth,  eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries 
the  material  which  blossomed  and  bore  fruit  in  the 
twelfth,  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries. 

Gothic  as  an  expression — particularly  in  architecture 
and  furnishings— was  an  idea  foreign  to  England  and 
Italy,  and  by  them  expressed  with  a  very  strong  tinge 
of  national  colouring.  This  betrays  the  national  dif- 
ference quite  as  strongly  as  it  emphasizes  the  original 
Gothic  formulation.  Having  matured  and  expressed  the 
Gothic  idea,  the  flower  of  its  expression  was  found  in 
cathedrals,  monasteries,  libraries,  and  in  some  details  of 
the  palaces  of  the  king  and  of  the  highest  nobles.  S<> 
I'.n-  a-  general  domestic  architecture,  furnishings  and 
decorative  material  are  concerned,  little  remains,  and 
probably  little  was  produced,  up  to  the  time  of  bonis 
XII  in  the  lair  fifteenth  century. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Renaissance,  with  all  it  signi- 

131 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

fied,  was  indigenous  to  the  Italian  soil  because  Italy  was 
the  home  of  classic  and  Roman  traditions  and  every- 
thing classic  in  form  was  acceptable  as  an  expression  of 
that  tradition.  In  France,  however,  the  Renaissance 
was  an  affected  style,  as  it  was  also  in  England  and  the 
northern  European  countries.  It  must  necessarily  be 
so,  equally,  in  this  country  and  at  this  time. 

Consumed  with  the  Gothic  idea  and  having  exhausted 
in  ecstasy  the  materials  necessary  in  telling  its  story, 
the  French  were  ready  by  1495  for  a  new  idea.  Earlier 
periods  had  seen  the  Crusades,  and  those  taking  part  in 
them  had  passed  through  the  land  of  the  Renaissance 
into  the  influence  of  the  Orient  and,  naturally,  they  had 
brought  back  with  them  to  France  more  or  less  of  the 
feeling  which  they  had  unconsciously  absorbed.  They 
also  brought  back  souvenirs  of  these  strange  civiliza- 
tions, and  gradually  public  notice  was  drawn  to  the 
difference  between  their  own  products  and  these  foreign 
forms  of  expression. 

Louis  XII,  in  his  Italian  campaign,  grasped  more  than 
had  any  of  his  predecessors  of  the  advanced  state  of 
civilization  in  that  country  and  the  forms  in  which  this 
was  expressed.  His  followers,  too,  returned  with  more 
and  more  accumulated  souvenir  material,  some  forms  of 
which  were  applied  to  the  Gothic  background  of  the 
palaces  in  France.  He  may,  therefore,  be  styled  the 
forerunner  of  the  Renaissance  in  France. 

The  Renaissance  really  began  with  Francis  I  who 
came  to  the  throne  in  1515.  By  birth,  association,  tem- 
perament and  disposition  he  was  of  the  quality  likely  to 
demand  change,  refinement,  a  more  or  less  flippant  ex- 
pression of  social  ideals,  and  a  fulness  of  beauty  in  social 


THE  FRENCH  RENAISSANCE 

expression  which  the  pure  Gothic  idea  forbade.  Three 
great  influences  were  set  in  motion  by  Francis  I,  which 
changed  the  whole  complexion  and  direction  of  French 
endeavour  and  worked  out  the  two  great  periods  in 
French  art  which  may  he  called  the  French  Renaissance 
and  the  French  period  styles. 

The  first  of  these  influences  was  the  change  in  religious 
viewpoint  during  his  reign.  Instead  of  the  concentra- 
tion on  religious  idealism  which  characterized  the 
earlier  centuries,  he  focussed  his  thought  and  spent  his 
time  and  his  energy  as  well  as  that  of  his  associates  upon 
the  development  of  the  commercial  social  ideal.  This 
phase  of  life  involved  the  turning  of  constructive  crea- 
tive energies  into  the  channels  of  architecture,  furnish- 
ings and  decoration,  in  order  to  satisfy  its  new  demands. 

Naturally,  since  Gothic  was  the  expression  of  the 
centuries  already  past,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
cultivation  and  promulgation  of  the  newer  ideas  of  the 
Italian  Renaissance.  lie  visited  Italy  and  saw  for  him- 
self, persuaded  artists  to  leave  their  country,  furnished 
materials  and  directed  forces — all  to  the  attainment  of 
this  end. 

The  second  modifying  influence  was  the  change  which 
resulted  in  the  social  or  domestic  ideal.  The  strict 
adherence  to  the  family  vows  and  all  that  that  entails 
had  been  the  social  ideal  of  the  earlier  national  develop- 
ment. Francis,  by  openly  inviting  to  court  the  most 
beautiful,  cultured  and  fascinating  women  of  the  land, 
and  by  choosing  successively  the  companionship  of  one 
or  more  of  these  to  the  exclusion  of  the  rights  of  the 
queen,  developed  a  new  attitude  toward  social  and  do- 
mestic relations.     This  social  change  reached  its  cul- 

133 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

mination  in  the  days  of  Louis  XV  in  the  eighteenth 
century.  This  difference  in  the  power  and  place  of 
woman  in  social  and  court  life  led  to  wild  extravagances, 
and  the  most  ingenious  methods  were  employed  to  ob- 
tain new  and  subtle  art  expressions  for  the  satisfaction  of 
each  favourite  as  she,  in  turn,  enjoyed  the  royal  favour. 

Art,  from  this  time  on  became,  in  France,  more  or 
less  an  art  for  women.  Each  epoch  showed  to  a  great 
extent  the  striving  of  artists  in  every  field  for  some- 
thing extravagant  and  beautiful  which  should  be  suited 
to  the  taste  and  refinement  of  Milady,  whoever  she 
might  be.  This  fact  places  the  French  Renaissance 
and  the  French  period  styles  at  once  in  a  category  by 
themselves,  their  qualities  being  quite  individual  when 
compared  with  those  of  other  nations. 

The  third  influence  was  the  rapidity  with  which 
France  was  organized,  politically  and  socially,  during 
this  reign  and,  through  the  extension  of  commerce  and 
international  association,  the  accumulation  of  wealth 
which  was  lavishly  expended  in  the  social  lines  before 
indicated. 

It  is  not  our  intention  here  to  enter  into  details  of 
the  period  of  the  Early  Renaissance  in  France,  but 
to  set  in  motion  certain  ideas  which  account  for  the 
maturity  of  the  French  styles  as  we  know  them  and  lead 
up  to  an  appreciation  of  the  value  of  these  styles  in 
modern  decoration. 

The  French  Renaissance  may  be  said  to  include  the 
time  from  the  accession  of  Francis  I  in  1515  to  the 
accession  of  Louis  XIII  in  1610,  and  was  developed 
largely  during  the  reign  of  Francis  I,  Henry  II  and 
Henry  IV.  The  short  reigns  of  Francis  II  and  Henry 
1S4 


K.)  SKETCH  SHOWING  THE  EARLY  ITALIAN  RENAISSANCE  ADAPTED  TO 
I  III.  COMFORTS  "I  \  MODERN  LIVING  ROOM,  BUT  RETAINING  I  III. 
iji    \  I.I  I  II  -  in     [FORMALITY,  STRENGTH    \\H  RES1  FUL    VRR\NGEMENT. 


"'•'I 


T 


jr*i 


I.       LATER  H  U.l  W    HI  \  USSAN<  I. 
MODERN     II  M  I  I  HI-    POSSI  SSE8 

l;l  STRAIN!      \M'    1  "l<\l  M.l'l  ^  . 


THE  FRENCH  RENAISSANCE 

III  have  made  so  little  impress  on  art  styles  that  they 
arc  not  worth  mentioning  in  this  connection. 

The  reign  of  Francis  I.  Henry  TI  and  Henry  IV,  how- 
ever, are  each  dominated  by  particular  ideas,  and  still 
the  fundamental  influences  are  the  change  in  religious 
attitude,  the  liirth  and  development  of  the  new  social 
ideas  and  practices,  and  the  commercial  relationships 
which  made  possible  the  rapid  advancement  in  every 
line  of  creative  endeavour. 

It  must  be  remembered  here  thai  there  are  three  stages 
of  development  in  all  art  periods.  They  may  be  called 
the  Early,  the  High  and  the  Decline.  We  look  to  the 
Early  period  for  the  finest  expression  of  sane  idealism 
which  the  period  gives,  to  the  High  period  for  the  rich, 
lull,  material  display  demanded  by  the  principles 
which  control  the  inception  of  the  thought,  and  to  the 
Decline  for  the  complete  materialization  of  the  original 
idea  with  the  loss  of  simple  constructive  necessities  in 
the  deluge  of  ornament  and  ostentatious  display.  We 
find  also  in  the  Decline  an  injection  of  materialistic, 
physical  idealism  where  the  aesthetic  or  the  spiritual 
idea  had  dominated  the  original  thought. 

Tin-  period  of  Francis  I  represents  the  first  idealism  of 
the  Renaissance  in  France.  It  may  he  said  to  express 
in  its  entirety  the  best  period  of  the  Italian  Renais- 
sance  modified   first   by    the    temperamental    qualities 

of  the  French  people  and  then  by  the  personality  of 
Francis  I  and  his  immediate  associates.  Its  archi- 
tecture represents  a  tremendous  step  in  the  evolution 
of  modern  luxury  and  comfort.  Its  decorative  appear- 
ance  embodies  the  laws  of  decorative  choice  and  arrangc- 
m>  n!  sensed  keenly  and  worked  out  in  the  adaptation 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

of  the  best  statement  of  Italian  Renaissance  forms.  The 
textiles  and  textures  are  the  expression  of  the  fairly 
restrained,  though  beautifully  decorated,  ideas  of  the 
Middle  Renaissance.  The  development  of  furniture 
was  intensely  interesting  because  the  two  new  ideas, 
of  beauty  for  the  senses  and  of  comfort  for  the  body, 
were  vying  with  each  other  for  new  fields  in  which 
to  exercise  the  lately  awakened  instincts  of  a  slumbering 
consciousness. 

Tables,  chairs,  cabinets  and  chests  were  modified 
from  the  Italian  material,  scale,  construction  and  com- 
bination to  the  distinctly  French,  which  was  smaller, 
lighter,  less  dignified,  more  domestic  and  less  formal. 
In  all  other  fields  of  endeavour  the  same  general  quali- 
ties of  refinement,  scope  and  concrete  beauty  are  clearly 
felt.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  second  great  tem- 
peramental expression  of  the  French  people. 

The  period  of  Henry  II  may  be  briefly  described  as  a 
cross  between  the  style  Francis  I  and  the  Baroque 
Italian  Renaissance,  with  Francis  I  and  Early  Italian 
ideas  strongly  prevailing.  Added  to  these  two  influences 
was  the  new  Oriental  idea,  espoused  and  promulgated 
by  many  in  the  court,  including  the  court  favourite 
Diane  de  Poitiers.  For  her  and  through  her  came 
some  of  the  finest  expressions  in  the  period  of  Henry 
II.  Naturally  a  woman  of  exquisite  taste,  of  liberal 
education  and  unlimited  power,  it  was  possible  for 
her  to  develop,  particularly  in  the  interior  of  houses, 
the  ideas  to  which  the  Early  period  had  given  birth. 

Much  of  this  period  was  devoted  to  the  advancement 
of  the  art  of  tapestry  weaving,  wood  carving  and  textile 
manufacture.     At  times  the  art  seems  to  be  dominated 


THE  FRENCH  RENAISSANCE 

by  the  High  Renaissance  <>r  the  early  stages  of  the 
Decline  in  Italy.  This  was  due.  no  doubl .  to  the  influ- 
ence exercised  by  the  queen  Catherine  <!<•  Medici-  — 
whose  ideas  and  practices  were  always  strictly  Italian. 
She  surrounded  herself  as  much  as  possible  with  such 
Italian  prelates,  workmen  and  court  ladies  as  would 
throw  the  weighl  of  their  influence  toward  Italian  ex- 
pression as  opposed  to  thai  broadening  type  which  was 
embraced  by  Diane  de  Poitiers.  New  kinds  and  more 
articles  of  furniture  were  in  demand  to  satisfy  the 
growing  taste-  for  display  and  comfort.  Certain  types 
of  chests  became  cabinets,  cabinets  became  sideboards, 
sideboards,  dressing  fables  and  writing  desks,  things 
unheard  of  in  any  country,  even  in  Italy  at  that  time. 
Ornament  was  a  no  less  prolific  field  for  creative  genius. 
The  whole  range  of  Italian  Renaissance  was  exploited, 
resulting  in  a  heaviness,  a  mixed  aggregate,  and  a  col- 
lection of  forms  lacking  the  delicacy,  simplicity  and 
refinement  with  which  the  period  of  Francis  I  speaks 
so  eloquently.  Architecture  received  little  impetus 
although  it  became  the  function  of  the  royal  power  to 
complete  and  add  to  the  great  number  of  buildings 
begun  by  Francis  I  and  either  lcl'l  unfinished  or  found 
too  small  adequately  to  express  the  needs  of  his  epoch. 

Suffice    it     to    say    that    the    Renaissance    reached    its 

height  of  decorative  possibility  in  the  reign  of  Henry 
II.  and  lost  in  this  reign  particularly  toward  its 
close— the  exquisite  qualities  which  the  period  of 
Francis  I  had  given.  This  was  the  natural,  spontane- 
ous adaptation  of  the  Italian  Renaissance  in  genuine 
French  feeling. 
The  period  of  Henry  IV  shows  a  si  range  conglomera- 
te 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

tion.  Born  a  Huguenot,  and  during  the  first  part  of 
his  life  a  believer  in  all  that  the  Huguenot  faith  pro- 
claimed, his  reign  marks  an  epoch  of  consistent  sever- 
ity and  plainness  which  outlines  itself  with  great 
distinctness  against  the  rich  informalism  of  Henry  II. 
Later  in  life,  however,  he  and  his  followers  seem  to 
have  lost  the  idea  for  which  the  Huguenot  faith  stands 
and  to  have  realized  that  it  was  not  the  natural  out- 
come of  the  conditions  under  which  they  lived. 

No  doubt  the  negotiations  between  France  and 
Italy,  in  which  Marie  de  Medici  was  sold  to  France  to 
satisfy  a  debt,  had  much  to  do  with  the  future  develop- 
ment of  this  style.  Although  she  was  married  to 
Henry  IV,  it  must  be  remembered  that  her  life  was 
quite  apart  from  that  of  the  court  as  France  knew  it, 
and  even  from  the  king  himself,  for  she  was  not  crowned 
queen  until  a  very  few  days  before  the  assassination  of 
the  king. 

The  French  conception,  as  already  developed,  was 
then  established  plus  the  ideas  which  Marie  de  Medici 
and  her  court  imported  directly  from  the  Pitti  Palace 
in  Florence,  where  she  had  been  brought  up  in  a  pecu- 
liarly isolated  way  in  an  uncongenial  atmosphere. 
Her  associates  were  bourgeois;  she  was  lonely  and 
piqued,  discouraged  and  sad,  whimsical,  and  by  nature 
inclined  to  material  things.  The  fact  that  she  was 
starved  in  every  way  in  her  youth,  bartered  for  a 
monetary  consideration  and  placed  in  an  impossible 
situation,  may  account  for  the  kind  of  influence  she 
exercised  on  the  rest  of  this  period  and  the  Early  period 
of  her  son,  Louis  XIII. 

Being  surrounded  by  persons  inferior  in  birth  and 
138 


FEELING,    Bl    I     LESS    R 
-I  I  >1  l:  VI  [O.N    I  IN.  hi  EH 


THE  FRENCH  RENAISSANCE 

culture,  and  not  having  the  fullest  confidence  of  the 
king  and  his  ministers,  she  naturally  sought  to  express 
herself  in  such  things  as  would  at  least  demand  atten- 
tion and  remark  from  all  with  whom  she  came  in  contact. 
Evidently,  too,  there  were  certain  persons  of  the  court 
whose  taste  must  be  deferred  to. 

Architecturally,  most  of  the  work  was  the  completion 
of  things  already  begun.  So  far  as  furnishing  was  con- 
cerned, some  new  pieces  were  originated  and  others  fell 
into  disuse.  Flemish  artists  began  to  make  themselves 
felt  because  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  which  gave  religious 
freedom  in  France  to  all  and  was  the  signal  for  an  influx 
of  Flemish,  English  and  West  Germanic  artisans. 
Nearly  all  of  these  represented  the  art  crafts  in  some 
form.  The  finest  workers  in  metal,  wood,  stone,  cloth 
and  other  media  found  their  homes  in  France.  This  in- 
fluence is  felt  to  the  very  end  in  the  quality  of  the 
technique  shown  in  the  expression  of  any  idea  in  any 
material  up  to  the  time  of  the  French  Revolution. 
Much,  however,  of  its  efficiency  was  lost  with  the  rev- 
oration  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  by  Louis  XIV  in  the 
hot  days  of  his  life. 

So  far  as  the  feeling  in  this  period  is  concerned — 
and  that  is  the  important  thing  in  this  connection — ■ 
if  may  be  styled  the  decline  or  decadence  of  the  Ren- 
aissance in  France.  It  really  corresponds  in  France 
to  the  decline  of  the  Italian  Renaissance  which  occurred 
from  about  1550,  and  is  characterized  by  the  bourgeois 
taste  which  always  chooses  the  most  ornate,  the  show- 
ies*  and  the  mosl  impossible  things  under  the  imprcs- 
sion  that  they  arc  true  example-,  of  refined  artistic 
selection. 

139 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

Perhaps  the  most  important  conclusion  to  be  de- 
rived from  the  period  of  Henry  IV  is  that,  given  a 
plain,  simple,  dignified,  sincere,  consistently  decorative 
thing  and  one  which  is  involved,  dissembling,  unpardon- 
ably  loaded  with  decoration  and  worked  in  unrelated 
motifs  and  materials,  the  bourgeois  taste  invariably 
selects  the  latter.  This  is  partly  due  to  the  fact 
that  all  are  not  trained  to  select  intelligently  or 
reasonably,  and  most  are  not  qualified  through  emo- 
tional endowment  or  training  to  select  without  stop- 
ping to  think  why  a  thing  is,  or  is  not,  good.  Neither 
this  intuitive  perception  of  consistency  in  decoration 
and  beauty  nor  an  intellectual  conception  or  judgment 
of  it  was  present  in  the  dominating  idea  of  the  period  of 
Henry  IV. 

To  grasp  the  Baroque  influence  or  the  materialistic 
naturalistic  substitution  for  idealism  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  study  the  type  of  persons,  the  quality  of  orna- 
ment, and  the  technique  manifested  in  the  tapestries  of 
the  day.  This  same  aggregate  quality  idea  was  seen  in 
the  painting,  as  may  be  easily  distinguished  in  the  won- 
derful, though  sensuous  and  voluptuous,  paintings  of  the 
court  of  Marie  de  Medici  by  Rubens.  Out  of  the  same 
consciousness  that  chose  and  admired  these  tapestries 
and  paintings  came  the  choice  of  and  admiration  for 
the  furnishings  and  fittings  of  the  interior.  Cabinets, 
chests,  tables  and  chairs  were  not  only  covered  with 
carved  materials,  but  loaded  with  them.  This  decora- 
tive material  consisted  of  a  grotesque  combination,  im- 
possible in  nature  and  irregular  in  art,  of  human,  animal, 
vegetable  and  mineral  motifs  naturalistically  done  but 
unthinkably  combined. 
140 


THE  FRENCH  RENAISSANCE 

This  adaptation  of  the  universe  in  a  naturalistic  form 
in  all  materials  is  no  more  art  than  it  is  nature.  It  is  a 
misconception  of  the  relation  of  nature  to  art,  a  mis- 
conception of  decoration  itself, and  an  evidence  of  wrong 
judgment  as  to  the  choice  ami  application  of  decoration. 
It  is  the  inevitable  sign  of  a  decadent  taste  and  a  love  for 
show  which  entirely  eclipses  the  power  to  distinguish  the 
eternal  fitness  of  things,  which  is  the  foundation  of  all 
art  expression.  The  inspiration  for  all  this  was  found  in 
the  life  of  the  times.  It  was  the  natural  consequence  of 
the  acceptance  by  the  people  of  a  foreign  form  of  art 
expression  with  the  many  outside  influences  which 
modified  its  growth  and  the  culmination  of  an  idealism 
which  puts  physical,  sensuous  gratification  before  not 
only  the  spiritual  law  but  the  aesthetic  conception  as 
well. 

While  this  period  may  be  said  to  be  the  closing  one 
of  the  French  Renaissance,  it  is  the  foundation  for  the 
subsequent  development  of  periods  which  may  lie 
called  the  French  styles.  There  is  much  in  the  period 
of  Francis  I  which  may  be  copied  or  readapted  with 
profit  and  pleasure  in  the  development  of  I  lie  American 
ideal.  Clearly,  to  actually  copy  the  Francis  I  style  is 
quite  impossible  since  our  conditions  are  so  dissimilar. 

The  period  of  Henry  II,  too,  presents  structural 
fcaturo,  forms,  new  articles  of  furnishing  and  decora- 
tive ideas  which  are  really  forces  no1  only  in  the  French 
periods  but  also  in  modern  times  if  handled  as  force 
instead  of  objects  to  be  copied. 

Decorative  features,  textiles,  pottery  and  the  like 
found  a  beginning  in  these  periods  which  in  many  others 
have  not  been  improved  upon  for  their  decorative  effect. 

in 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

Thus  are  decorative  forces  potential  and  may  be  used 
in  many  combinations  and  arrangements  when  one 
understands  for  what  they  stand.  On  the  other  hand, 
to  copy  these  slavishly  with  backgrounds  and  acces- 
sories is  quite  as  impossible  as  to  so  copy  the  architec- 
ture itself. 

For  the  period  of  Henry  IV  there  is  less  to  be  said.  A 
selection  of  anything  which  is  truly  expressive  of  the 
period  indicates  a  dearth  of  other  material. 

The  French  Renaissance  may  be  said  to  end  with  the 
death  of  Henry  IV  in  1610,  although  its  influence  was 
felt  for  some  years  during  the  regency  of  Marie  de 
Medici. 

Louis  XIII  came  to  the  throne  in  1610,  and  was  con- 
temporary with  James  I  and  Charles  I  of  England. 
During  his  reign  of  thirty-three  years  the  transition 
from  Renaissance  to  strictly  French  period  styles  took 
place.  One  of  the  marked  characteristics  of  the  French 
is  their  adaptability  or  susceptibility  to  new  ideas  and 
their  assimilation,  modification  and  re-expression  of 
these  ideas. 

At  the  end  of  the  reign  of  Louis  XIII  scarcely  any- 
thing was  left  that  could  be  called  Renaissance  in  its 
form  or  feeling  so  thoroughly  had  it  become  modified 
by  other  influences  and  permeated  with  the  true  French 
atmosphere.  Briefly  considered,  the  period  of  Louis 
XIII — from  the  artistic  decorative  standpoint— illus- 
trates the  epoch  of  conflicting  influences  accepted,  har- 
monized and  reconstructed,  and  it  paves  the  way  for  the 
magnificent  development  of  the  period  of  Louis  XIV. 
By  nature  Louis  XHI  was  less  fitted  to  dominate  a  style 
than  any  of  his  predecessors.  His  genius  and  his  atten- 
142 


THE  FRENCH  RENAISSANCE 

tion  wore  devoted  to  quite  other  fields  of  development. 
But  certain  inevitable  influences  were  felt  that  modified 
the  national  attitude  and  brought  into  its  development 
new  ideas  which  resulted  in  the  grand  periods  that  fol- 
lowed. One  of  the  most  interesting  and  one  of  the 
strongest  influences  for  growth  in  the  arts  and  letters 
is  found  in  the  power  of  Cardinal  Richelieu. 

Immediately  upon  his  assuming  a  position  of  impor- 
tance, Richelieu  furthered  the  causes  of  science  and  art, 
and  bent  his  energies  toward  the  furthering  of  their 
development  during  the  time  of  his  power.  In  sym- 
pathy with  scientific  research  and  a  devoted  lover  of  the 
beautiful,  he  did  much  to  pave  the  way  for  intensive 
development  along  these  lines,  in  which  his  influence 
was  felt  for  two  centuries  after. 

The  queen,  Anne  of  Austria,  a  Spanish  woman  with 
all  the  inherent  tendencies  of  strict,  formal,  Spanish 
etiquette,  contributed  no  small  part  to  the  formulation 
of  this  new  and  very  mixed  type  of  art  expression. 
Spanish  art  at  this  time  was  a  mixture  of  the  Saracenic 
influence  as  it  was  expressed  in  Granada  and  the  Italian 
Decadence  as  it  was  espoused  by  the  Spanish  people. 
Grandeur,  elegance,  show  and  heaviness  were  the  chief 
characteristics  Anne  of  Austria  contributed  to  the  period 
of  Louis  XIII. 

At  this  time  the  Flemish  influence  was  felt  in  the 
form  of  twisted  woods,  simple  rectangular  structures, 
the  scroll,  and  I  heir  peculiar  treatment  of  the  acanthus. 
Their  methods  eventually  look  firm  rool  in  French  soil. 
Add  to  this  the  influence,  through  the  Duke  of  Bucking- 
ham and  his  suite,  of  the  English  period  known  ;i>  thai 
of  Charles  I,  and  one  readily  perceives  how  I  he  period  of 

148 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

Louis  XIII  received  vast  potential  influences — Italian, 
Spanish,  Saracenic,  Flemish  and  English.  All  of  these 
required  to  be  assimilated,  reconstructed  and  intelli- 
gently used  to  express  the  needs  of  the  new  phase  of 
life  into  which  France  had  entered. 

Difficult  it  would  indeed  be  to  describe  in  a  limited 
space  the  period  of  Louis  XIII.  Enough  may  be 
gleaned,  however,  from  this  brief  discussion  to  stimulate 
the  reader  to  historical  research  and  period  study,  to 
make  him  realize  that  he  is  looking  for  the  natural  con- 
sequence that  must  follow  the  acceptance  of  certain 
ideas,  and  that  any  art  expression  is  but  the  natural  re- 
sult of  harbouring  certain  ideals  and  allowing  the  mind 
to  see  them  as  important  factors  in  the  satisfaction  of 
life's  requirements.  This  whole  period  may  be  said  to 
be  a  transition  between  the  adaptation  of  Italian  styles 
to  French  use  and  the  new  idea  of  seeking  structural  and 
beauty  elements  anywhere,  and  using  these  elements  in 
an  adapted  way  to  express  the  taste  and  intelligence  of 
a  people  whose  requirements  or  needs  change  as  their 
civilization  advances.  In  this  way  only  is  it  possible 
to  make  a  consistent  use  of  the  art  forms  of  any  period 
in  the  expression  of  individual  needs. 


144 


PART  II  CHAPTER  VIII 

THE     FRENCH    STYLKS 

THE  period  of  Louis  XIV,  Le  Grand  "Monarque,  from 
1643  to  171.'),  is  not  only  the  longesl  reign  of  any  Euro- 
pium monarch,  bui  also  by  far  the  most  important  of  any 
French  king.  The  high  tide  of  this  period  marks  the 
epoch  of  absolute  monarchy  in  France,  and  also  of  the 
crystallization  of  a  national  form  of  expression  in  all 
Gelds.  This  not  only  greatly  influenced  the  subsequent 
French  styles,  hut  lias  been  the  source  of  inspiration  in 
dl  her  national  period  forms. 

( 'ertain  clearly  defined  conditions  existed  \vhen  Louis 
XIV  assumed  the  reins  of  government,  contributing 
each  in  its  way  to  the  climax  reached  during  his 
reign. 

First.  France  had  organized  and  partially  developed 
a  political  policy  whose  tendency  was  the  extension  of 
national  domain  and  the  promotion  of  international 
relal  ionships.  Tin-  gave  an  impel  us  to  French  thought, 
while  association  and  contact  with  other  lands  and  other 
forms  of  life  affected  the  general  consciousness. 

Second.  There  had  been  established  through  the 
untiring  efforts  of  Richelieu,  Mazarin,  and  their  collab- 
orators a  respect  for  arts  and  letters,  science  and  com- 
merce, which  touched  the  remotest  parts  of  the  kingdom, 
and  gradually  admiration  for  the  arl  s  became  the  fashion, 

145 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

developing  almost  to  a  mania,  particularly  among  the 

upper  classes  and  the  court. 

Third.  Conscious  effort  appears  to  have  been  di- 
vorced from  religious  idealism  and  concentrated  on 
social  evolution,  which  became  the  dominating  impulse 
of  the  rapidly  developing  nation. 

Fourth.  The  early  isolation  of  the  court  at  Ver- 
sailles and  the  gradual  magnetic  influence  it  exerted 
over  the  beauty,  talent  and  money  of  the  realm,  has- 
tened the  development  of  forms  of  social  etiquette, 
ceremonial  observance  and  pageantry  which  established 
the  social  criteria  for  the  world  at  large. 

Fifth.  Through  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  France  was 
flooded  by  hordes  of  Flemish  and  Dutch  Huguenots  who 
were  artists  and  craftsmen,  working  in  all  materials, 
ready  to  do  the  bidding  of  any  court  personage  whose 
whim  and  resources  permitted  creation  in  any  field. 
This  variety  of  craftsmen,  the  excellence  of  their  work, 
and  the  wealth  of  material  at  their  command  aided  no 
little  the  growth  and  maturity  of  this  entirely  new 
French  period  art  expression. 

Sixth.  It  must  be  remembered  that  Francis  I  estab- 
lished an  entirely  different  social  domestic  ideal.  It 
has  been  said  before  that  the  art  of  France  is  an  art  pre- 
eminently for  women.  In  no  periods  is  this  so  clearly  felt 
as  in  the  periods  of  Louis  XI V,  Louis  XV  and  Louis  XVI. 
While  in  scale,  in  colour  and  design  much  of  the  period 
of  Louis  XIV  is  masculine  in  its  feeling,  the  style  itself 
and  the  variety  of  its  forms  is  no  doubt  very  largely 
influenced  by  the  female  favourites  of  the  monarch. 

During  the  ascendancy  of  Madame  de  Montespan  the 
period  reaches  its  highest  form  of  development.  The 
146 


THE  FRENCH  STYLES 

qualities  of  the  woman — her  indomitable  will,  her  love 
of  show,  her  vanity  and  pride,  with  the  refinement  and 
culture  which  she  undoubtedly  possessed — are  all 
clearly  seen  in  every  object  supplied  the  court  during  the 
years  of  her  most  absolute  sway,  not  alone  over  Louis 
himself,  but  over  all  those  who  through  her  influence  ex- 
pected and  received  favours.  La  Valliere,  with  less 
force,  therefore  less  power,  made  far  less  impress  than 
did  de  Montespan ;  \\  hile  Madame  de  Maintenon,  whose 
life  was  given  to  service  and  to  the  outward  regeneration 
of  I  he  court,  has  left  an  indelible  impression  of  heaviness, 
formality,  lack  of  grace  and  an  entire  absence  of  the 
playful  charm  which  the  High  period  expresses  in  so 
notable  a  degree. 

The  important  fact  to  be  retained  is  that  the  art  of 
Louis  XIV  is  dominated  by  female  influence,  and  that 
this  influence,  increasing,  finds  its  climax  of  perfection 
in  the  Following  reign,  when  Louis  XV  expresses  it  most 
completely. 

There  is  still  another  condition  which  has  no  little 
bearing  on  the  remarkable  crystallization  of  the  style 
of  Louis  XIV.  This  is  the  period  of  absolutism  in 
which  the  monarch  declared  himself  the  church  and  the 
state.  All  impulses  bent  to  the  one,  the  aggrandize- 
ment of  self  and  the  promulgation  in  no  uncertain 
terms  of  the  absolute  monarchical  ideal.  This  in  no 
little  measure  is  the  reason  for  the  gradual  disappear- 
ance of  the  influences  of  the  Italian  Renaissance,  the 
Saracenic  invasion,  which  came  through  Spain,  and  of 
the  Teutonic  motif.  It  resulted  in  the  ultimate  crystal- 
lization of  a  united  French  form  of  expression. 

Perhaps   an    examination  into   the  effects  of  these 

147 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

influences  will  serve  to  establish  a  mental  connection 
which  will  give  the  period  of  Louis  XIV  a  place  in  the 
decorative  idea. 

First  of  all,  this  new  concentrated  social  ideal  de- 
veloped the  most  magnificent  and  ornate  display  of 
modern  times.  The  wealth  of  material,  its  luxurious 
combinations  and  its  military  effects,  have  been  the 
admiration  of  the  unthinking  from  that  day  to  this. 
Again,  the  whole  palace  at  Versailles,  with  its  walls,  its 
ceilings,  its  accessory  objects,  formed  a  vast  stage  set- 
ting for  the  most  extravagant  pageants  in  court  life 
that  history  records.  The  thought  of  the  palaces  as 
a  suitable  background  against  which  to  show  furniture 
or  people  was  furthest  from  the  Louis  XIV  idea.  The 
palace  produced  a  scenic  effect  into  which  the  most 
gorgeous  costumes,  the  most  subtle,  and  still  preten- 
tious, manners  and  customs,  the  most  ornate  and  un- 
related forms,  were  constantly  to  be  seen  moving  to 
and  fro.  Consequently  the  result  must  be  overdone, 
heavy,  mixed  and  whimsical,  so  far  as  its  applications 
to  real  life  are  concerned. 

To  be  sure,  there  was  good  and  bad  in  the  materials 
used,  in  the  designs  prepared,  in  the  technique  of  the 
work  done  and  in  the  caprices  that  inspired  it.  But 
the  aggregate  of  these  things  produced  a  mixed  effect 
beyond  ordinary  comprehension,  and  too  involved  to 
be  a  part  of  anything  except  the  most  luxurious,  rich- 
est and  most  presuming  of  all  possible  interior  expres- 
sion. Even  then  it  must  be  readapted,  refined  and 
worked  out  by  the  most  artistic  hands  in  order  to  make 
it  appear  as  anything  else  than  a  grand  ballroom  or 
hotel  dining-room  when  seen  as  a  full  blaze  of  glory. 
148 


THE  FRENCH  STYLES 

It  is  important  that  we  should  not  confuse  I  lie  archi- 
tecture with  tin'  interior  furnishings  and  decorations  of 
the  period  called  Louis  XIV.  Let  us  remember  thai 
there  were  two  sets  of  ideas  seeking  prevalence  in 
France.  The  classic  idea,  with  all  that  it  expresses 
in  temperance,  simplicity,  consistency  and  sincerity, 
was  still  revered,  taught  and  practised  by  a  certain 
class  of  persons  of  education,  men  of  letters  and  of  the 
arts,  while  directly  opposed  to  it  was  the  extravagant 
exposition  of  the  most  radical  humanistic  tendencies. 
This  accounts,  in  the  main,  for  the  two  types  of  liter- 
ature then  prevalent  and  for  the  development  of  classic 
exterior  architecture.  This  phase  is  represented  by 
the  facade  of  the  Louvre,  of  Versailles,  and  kindred 
buildings  of  this  period.  These  forms  of  French  ar- 
chitecture more  nearly  expressed  the  Italian  spirit 
and  arc  more  readily  adapted  to  modern  conditions 
than  are  any  of  the  French  periods,  with  the  pos- 
sible exception  of  the  late  Louis  XV,  when  the 
classic  impulse  tended  toward  refinement  and  a  re- 
duet  ion  in  scale,  so  that  it  produced  the  historic 
gem,  the  Lit  lie  Trianon. 

It  is  interesting  to  see  how  this  classic  idea,  which 
found  its  reincarnation  in  architect  ure  so  wonder- 
fully wrought,  failed  to  make  any  decided  impress  on 
either  the  architecture  of  the  interior  or  the  objects 
used  in  it-  furnishing.  It  is  true  that  classic  deco- 
rative motifs  appear  in  the  period  of  Louis  XIV, 
bu1  SO  changed  are  they  and  in  genera]  SO  sub- 
merged  in  other  decorative  forms  that  they  count 
for  little,  and  the  letter  rather  than  the  spirit  is  per* 
ceived. 

149 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

The  decorative  motifs  may  be  classed  under  three 
distinct  heads : 

There  are  the  classic  motifs  egg-and-dart,  astragal 
and  dentil — remade  in  form,  readapted  in  scale, 
and  used  as  borders  and  mouldings  to  give  place  and 
form  to  the  other  types  with  which  they  are  always 
used. 

Then  there  is  the  shell,  which  shows  rapid  changes 
from  the  well-formed  shell  of  the  early  days  to  the 
parted  motif  which  in  the  end  became  the  rococo  or 
rocaille  so  familiar  in  this  and  the  following  period. 

From  the  Italian  scroll,  filtered  through  Flemish 
usage  and  adapted  by  the  French,  comes  the  form 
which  is  really  the  controlling  one  in  the  decorative 
expression  of  the  entire  period.  The  naturalistic  or 
humanistic  influence,  which  never  conventionalizes  or 
considers  materials,  was  introduced  in  flower,  animal 
and  human  form,  representing  as  nearly  as  possible 
that  for  which  each  object  stands  in  nature. 

The  combination  of  these  three  types  of  motif  form 
what  is  known  as  the  Louis  XIV  motif  style.  These 
motifs  are  arranged  in  bisymmetric  form,  mingled  and 
commingled,  whether  carved,  cast,  chiselled,  or  painted, 
so  as  to  produce  certain  qualities  in  appearance  for 
which  the  period  is  valuable  to  us,  and  which  we  may  use 
in  adapted  form 

It  will  be  seen  here  that  there  is  no  relationship 
established  between  the  room  as  a  background  and 
furniture,  decorative  objects,  persons  and  the  other  im- 
portant things.  Remember  that  the  scenic  effect  of 
the  thing  itself  is  the  idea  for  which  the  thing  exists, 
rather  than  as  a  suitable  background  effect  against 
150 


THE  FRENCH  STYLES 

which  rarer  and  more  important  things  may  be  prop- 
erly exploited.  Neither  is  there  a  thought  in  this  grand 
period  of  restfulness,  quietness,  unassuming  refinement 
and  sincerity  of  expression  which  marks  the  more 
classic  periods.  It  is  these  qualities  of  which  we  in  this 
generation  are  so  greatly  in  need. 

The  furniture  of  this  period  expresses  two  remark- 
ably opposed  ideas.  In  structure  it  is  rectangular  and 
formal,  huge  in  scale,  mixed  in  material.  Its  decora- 
tions and  sometimes  its  upholstery  appear  as  informal 
motifs,  non-structurally  treated,  playfully  arranged, 
and  often  so  mixed  and  intermixed  that  the  story  of 
their  application  to  a  structural  form  becomes  untrans- 
latable, and  one  abandons  the  whole  as  a  maze  through 
which  he  is  unable  to  direct  his  thought. 

The  study  of  the  period  shows  the  colour  to  be,  in 
the  early  part,  a  readaptation  of  the  colours  of  the  High 
Renaissance  in  Italy.  Dark  red,  old  gold,  dark  green 
and  dark  blue  predominate.  These  tones  are  below 
middle  value,  the  textiles  are  rather  simple.  Italian 
motifs  dominating  and  simplicity  being  t lit-  key 
idea.  As  the  period  progresses  these  colours  became 
a  little  lighter,  more  mixed  and,  finally,  toward  the 
latter  part  of  the  period,  more  naturalistic  in  their 
motif  with  a  larger  number  of  colours  used  in  each 
design. 

Our  object  in  looking  into  these  influences  and 
their  results  has  been  to  awaken  the  reader,  first,  to 
the  fact  that  there  is  a  direct  relationship  of  cause  and 
effect  between  the  ideal  dominant  in  the  public  mind 
and  the  art  expression  which  is  the  result  of  need, 
arising   from   this  state  of  consciousness.     Again,   it 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

has  been  the  aim  to  lead  the  reader  to  see  that  national 
feeling  is  the  expression  of  a  national  idea  and  that,  while 
it  expresses  perfectly  that  idea,  it  may  be,  and  probably 
is,  useless  when  employed  to  express  any  other  idea  if 
copied  in  its  original  form  and  manner. 

It  is  also  important  to  know  that,  while  all  this 
is  true,  certain  elements,  structural  facts,  decorative 
motifs,  colour  combinations,  furniture  and  ornament 
creations  may  be  in  themselves  beautiful.  If  they 
are  so,  and  their  design  qualities  are  realized,  each  and 
all  of  these  are  possible  elements  for  use  in  expressing 
a  new  set  of  ideas.  It  is  to  prevent  the  mistake  of 
believing  that  a  Louis  XIV  room  should  be  reproduced 
under  modern  conditions  that  this  viewpoint  has  been 
given.  We  must  see  it  as  the  expression  of  clear-cut 
qualities  of  the  life  which  gave  it  birth. 

The  first  quality  of  this  period  may  be  said  to  be 
that  of  military  formality.  The  monarch  himself, 
though  but  five  feet  two  inches  tall,  is  always  spoken 
of  and  thought  of  as  expressing  a  high  type  of  military 
dignity  and  precision.  This  quality  is  reflected  in  the 
entire  art  of  the  period.  It  is  heavy  and  dominant 
in  its  scale;  it  is  a  scenic  panorama  of  mixed  motifs 
with  diversified  treatments,  gradually  becoming  amalga- 
mated into  one  general  feeling  of  structural  and 
French  adaptation.  This  military,  formal,  domina- 
ting manner  unites  with  it  as  time  goes  on  a  growing 
refinement  of  detail  in  single  objects  which  is  almost 
lost  in  the  dazzling  brilliancy  with  which  each  thing 
or  detail  is  forced  to  become  an  associate  ele- 
ment. 

The  adaptation  of  the  period  of  Louis  XIV  must 


THE  FRENCH  STYLES 


be  made  to  rooms  in  which  the  qualities  just  discussed 
are  the  ones  to  be  brought  out  in  the  decoration, 
but  the  period  itself  is  far  less  valuable  for  present 
use  than  it  is  as  a  key  to  the  understanding  of  the 
two  periods  immediately  following  it. 


153 


PART  fl  CHAPTER  IX 

THE  REGENCY  AND  THE  PERIODS  OF 
LOUIS  XV  AND  XVI 


THE  regency,  which  is  the  period  of  transition  between 
the  styles  of  Louis  XIV  and  Louis  XV,  gave,  through  the 
character  and  activities  of  the  Regent  and  his  court, 
an  added  impetus  to  the  forces  inaugurated  by  Louis 
XIV.  By  a  less  thoroughly  organized  political  system, 
a  more  flagrant  disregard  of  the  rights  and  customs  of 
social  relations,  and  by  an  open  opposition  to  ethical 
and  religious  influences,  this  period  prepared  the  minds 
of  the  people  of  France  for  the  period  of  Louis  XV,  to 
which  it  may  be  said  to  be  the  logical  preface. 

The  great  tax  system  of  Louis  XIV  had  so  depleted 
the  public  treasury  and  exhausted  the  resources  of  the 
people  at  large  that  supplies  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
ceremonial  which  characterized  this  monarch's  reign 
could  not  be  obtained  under  existing  conditions.  Energy 
was  devoted  to  securing  ready  money  rather  than  the 
installation  of  a  system  which  should  gradually  supply 
future  needs.  The  social  questions  became  a  matter  of 
open  court  gossip.  Manners  and  customs,  heretofore 
regarded  as  somewhat  private  in  their  nature,  were 
openly  paraded  as  a  natural  and  logical  method  of  living. 
Writers  and  social  dignitaries  openly  scorned  ethical 
forms  and  religious  customs  which  had  hitherto  received 
154 


THE  REGENCY 

consideration  at  least   as   matters  of  outward  obser- 
vance. 

The  excesses  of  the  Regent  and  his  intimates  were  of 
few  years  duration,  hut  they  established  a  precedent 
which  worked  out  in  the  period  of  Louis  XV  into  a  well- 
defined  manner  of  living.  Less  public  money  to  spend 
meant,  of  course,  less  material  for  creative  purposes. 
This  resulted  in  a  less  gorgeous  display  on  a  less  ponder- 
ous scale  in  useful  and  decorative  objects. 

A  less  clearly  defined  outward  appearance  of  decency 
gave  great  liberty  to  the  already  overwrought  imagina- 
tions of  the  people  of  the  court  and  the  artists  and  crafts- 
men who  created  for  them.  A  stronger  and  more 
firmly  felt  female  domination  reduced  the  art  expression 
in  amount  of  material,  in  scale,  in  variety  of  form  and  in 
colour  choice.  A  less  formal,  less  dignified  and  less 
beavy  structure  also  resulted  and  a  decorative  arrange- 
ment which  bespoke  the  whims  and  caprices  of  the  in- 
telligent, sometimes  refined,  but  extravagant  ideas  of 
the  dominating  influence. 

The  most  radical  change  in  this  period  is  seen  in  the 
growing  popularity  of  the  Flemish  curve  and  the  cabri- 
ole leg  which  had  already  been  more  or  less  exploited 
through  the  Huguenot  influence  from  Flanders  and 
England.  The  cabriole  leg  became  the  usual  support  in 
chairs,  divans  and  sometimes  in  consoles.  This  selec- 
tion made  essential  the  choice  of  curved  lines  to  rep- 
resent the  structural  limitations  of  these  articles  of 
furniture.  In  harmony  with  this  idea  the  curved  treat- 
iiinii  of  the  Flemish  scroll  and  the  already  popular 
rococo  motif  appear  in  carved  wood,  somel imes  in  com- 
position, and  not  infrequently  in  metal  ornament. 

155 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

Textile  and  ornament  received  their  share  of  playful 
exploitation.  Colour  choice  was  lighter  in  value,  in- 
tense and  lavishly  mixed  in  hue.  Ornamental  pieces 
in  pottery  and  metal  were  designed,  and  sold  when 
possible,  regardless  of  their  consistency  with  the  fur- 
nishing objects  to  be  associated  with  them. 

The  style  can  scarcely  be  said  to  be  of  sufficient  im- 
portance to  receive  special  treatment  except  as  it  gives  a 
prefatory  insight  into  those  phases  of  life  which  so 
greatly  influenced  the  art  of  Louis  XV.  It  also  gives 
the  origin  and  reason  for  the  seeming  return  in  furni- 
ture construction  to  curved-line  feeling,  cabriole  sup- 
port and  a  finer  scale  than  that  which  expressed  the  art 
form  of  Le  Grand  Monarque  and  his  gorgeous  court. 

The  period  of  Louis  XV  from  1715  to  1774  marks  the 
high  tide  of  the  French  decorative  styles.  This  is  the 
climax  of  a  materialistic  ideal,  the  full  flower  of  all  those 
Renaissance  tendencies  established  by  Francis  I  and  so 
strongly  intrenched  by  Louis  XIV.  It  shows  the  effect 
of  two  centuries  of  development  in  which  the  social  ideal 
is  preeminent,  and  luxury,  sensuous  pleasure  and  per- 
sonal gratification  are  the  avowed  ideals  of  life.  It 
reaps  a  full  harvest  of  all  the  ills  attendant  in  the  train 
of  such  ideals,  but  it  develops  in  their  evolution  and  ma- 
turity conscious,  sensuous  beauty  of  form,  line,  material 
and  colour,  and  a  delicacy  of  technique  with  a  refined 
unified  expression  never  equalled  before  or  since  in  any 
period  art  expression  of  a  social  type. 

This  period  stands  without  challenge  as  the  most 
sensuously  beautiful,  subtly  refined  and  masterly  han- 
dled of  any  period  upon  which  a  people  has  uncon- 
sciously impressed  its  type  of  the  social  domestic  ideal. 
156 


THE  REGENCY 

Because  this  is  so,  the  period  of  Louis  XV  is  of  inesti- 
mable value  in  working  out  our  national  and  personal 
problems  \\  herever  our  idea!-  touch  this  .ureal  era  of  arl 
which  was  devoted  to  sensuous  beauty. 

The  forces  or  impulses  which  actuated  the  period  of 
the  regency  were,  though  at  firsl  not  outwardly  promi- 
nent, the  keys!  oik-  upon  which  I  hi-  period  is  built.  The 
monarch  himself— in  early  life  reticent,  delicate  and 
magnetic  was  a  .ureal  personal  favourite  with  all  who 
knew  him.  By  his  charm  of  manner  he  revivified  the 
ig  interests  of  the  tired  court,  reinspired  the  min- 
isters of  state,  and  recreated,  by  modifying  the  methods 
of  Louis  XIV.  a  new  French  ideal.  In  his  time  the 
court  was  no  longer  a  magnificent,  ponderous  and  scenic 
show,  hut  a  collection  of  favoured  persons,  born  to  luxury 
and  enjoyment,  to  whom  pleasure  was  the  key  to  life  s 
bighesl  attainment,  while  isolation  and  mystic  solitude 
in  the  conduct  of  court  affairs  silenced  public  clamour. 

Gradually  the  favourite-  of  Louis  XV  gained  over  him 
such  power  that  the  appointment  of  ministers,  their  dis- 
missal, the  granting  of  pensions,  distribution  of  public 
expenditures  and  court  etiquette  were  almosl  entirely 
in  their  hand-.  With  the  ascendancy  of  Madame  de 
Pompadour  these  influences  reached  their  zenith  of 
strength.  Although  others  took  her  place  in  the  fickle 
id  Iriil  ion-  of  the  king,  she  never  lo-l  her  hold  on  this 
dominating  personality,  hut  continued  to  control  not 
only  the  law-  hut  the  custom-  and  finances  of  France. 
Clever  to  the  lasl  degree,  -he  not  only  benl  her  energies 
to  hold  this  influence  and  use  it  for  the  exaltation  and 
satisfaction  of  her  friends  and  herself,  bu1  -he  even  u->-,\ 
the  weaknesses  of  the  king  as  an  excuse  for  the  profligate 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

expenditure  of  money  to  satisfy  the  whims  of  other 
ladies  less  fortunate  than  she. 

The  influence  of  all  this  on  the  art  expression  of  the 
time  was  tremendous.  It  resulted  in  constant  changes 
in  decorative  style,  and  these  changes  were  made  upon 
the  already  developed  backgrounds  of  Louis  XIV  and 
the  regency.  Some  new  buildings  were  erected,  and 
these,  like  those  of  the  preceding  reigns,  still  show  the 
strongly  intrenched  classic  influence  in  the  architec- 
tural field. 

The  interiors  were  a  modification  of  the  previous 
styles  with  the  elimination  of  the  classic  idea  and  the 
fullest  development  of  the  humanistic,  naturalistic, 
rocaille  idea  inaugurated  by  the  regency.  Such  rooms 
seldom  present  a  background  sufficiently  obscure  or 
plain  to  connect  in  the  best  way  with  the  furniture  and 
furnishings  for  which  they  should  have  been  designed. 

This  statement  in  no  way  challenges  the  beauty  of 
some  of  the  walls  and  ceilings  of  this  period.  Rather  it 
is  intended  to  convey  the  idea  that  the  panelled  arrange- 
ments and  the  decorative  ornament  each  in  itself  is 
often  exquisitely  beautiful  in  composition  and  decora- 
tive effect,  but  they  are  not,  unless  greatly  simplified  in 
amount,  in  colour  and  in  arrangement,  suited  to  our 
problem  of  a  background  against  which  modern  people  in 
modern  clothes  and  with  modern  manners  are  to  appear. 

One  more  important  step  in  the  evolution  of  the  back- 
ground is  the  simpler  way  in  which  the  walls  were  pan- 
elled, the  treatment  of  ornament  within  these  panels 
often  leaving  a  restful  blank  space  in  the  centre, 
and  the  general  structural  placing  of  this  ornament 
although  curve  lined  in  its  nature  and  general  feeling. 
158 


THE  REGENCY 

This  period  is  further  characterized  by  the  total 
elimination  of  the  classic  motif.  Il  seems  quite  impossi- 
ble to  believe  that  the  building  of  the  Great  Trianon, 
the  Church  of  the  Madeline,  and  the  beginning  of  the 
Little  Trianon  with  its  classic  meaning  should  show  noth- 
ing in  the  interior  decorative  idea  thai  seemed  wholly 
related  to  them.  Not  only  are  the  motifs  absent  hut 
the  general  feeling  which  they  would  insure  is  lost  in  the 
exploitation  of  the  rocaille  and  the  naturalistic  motif. 
These  motifs  always  appear  in  the  non-bisynimetric  ar- 
rangement, which  in  truth  is  one  of  the  distinguishing 
characteristics  of  the  period  of  Louis  XV.  The  mar- 
vellous way  in  which  the  occult  balance  of  motifs  is 
worked  out  in  each  field  of  expression  is  the  key  often 
for  distinguishing  the  Louis  XV  from  the  Louis  XVI 
motif  treatment. 

Furniture  followed  quite  closely  the  structural  tend- 
encies of  the  regency  just  preceding.  It  became  smaller 
in  scale,  still  more  graceful  and  sensuous,  was  expressed 
in  more  materials,  and  ranged  widely  from  very  much 
decorated  to  very  little  decorated  structural  effects. 
Chairs,  divans,  consoles  and  even  cabinets  and  other 
art  icles,  are  made  in  natural  walnut,  beautifully  shaped, 
exquisitely  carved  and  sometimes  upholstered  in  tapes- 
try whose  texture,  motif  and  colour  express  the  same 
general  feeling  as  that  of  the  natural  wood. 

One  can  hardly  conceive  wooden  chairs  of  this  period 
covered  with  fragile  taffeta  or  a  finely  felt  brocade  whose 
texture  and  colour  relate  them  to  quite  another  type  of 
this  period  style.  It  is  the  natural  companion  of  the 
other  type  which  is  either  gilded  or  enamelled  in  old 
ivory  or  beautiful  grays.     This  treatment  has  theeffeel 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

of  refining  them  and  giving  them  a  genuinely  feminized 
appearance.  The  same  qualities  are  often  found  in  a 
scale  still  further  reduced  where  the  chairs  are  fitted 
only  for  a  drawing-room  or  a  woman's  boudoir. 

The  wide  range  of  materials  in  which  furniture  is 
made  is  of  great  assistance  in  the  choice  and  use  of  this 
style  in  modern  composition.  Another  treatment  of 
wood  in  side  pieces  is  found  in  lacquer  and  the  applica- 
tion of  a  metal  ornament.  This  combination  of  wood 
lacquer  and  metal  would  seem  most  incongruous.  In 
other  periods  it  would  be  so;  but  in  the  period  of  Louis 
XV  powerful  technique  with  a  perfect  conception  of 
balanced  relationships  made  it  possible  to  use  even  in- 
congruous materials  and  sometimes  incongruous  motifs. 
The  result  was,  sometimes,  a  most  appealing  article, 
which,  by  virtue  of  these  qualities,  appeared  to  be  a 
unit  when  completed.  It  would  be  dangerous,  however, 
in  most  cases,  to  accept  as  possible  the  combinations  in 
decorative  materials  used  in  the  period  of  Louis  XV. 

For  the  motifs  themselves  much  may  be  said.  To 
understand  the  feeling  produced  by  the  union  of  the 
ideas  which  these  motifs  exemplified  one  must  bear  in 
mind  the  development  of  the  rocaille  unit  with  all 
sorts  of  modifications  and  in  all  kinds  of  combinations. 
It  seems  incredible  that  the  shell  or  rock  shell  motif 
could  be  combined  with  the  Flemish  scroll,  and  not 
only  express  an  unlimited  number  of  subtle  and  sensu- 
ous designs  but  also  that  these  decorative  designs 
should  finally  take  the  place  of  the  very  structure  it- 
self. So  prodigally  was  this  idea  developed,  and  so 
lavishly  was  the  decorative  quality  applied,  that  in 
many  pieces,  particularly  in  consoles,  the  motif  be- 


;  -  z 

■J.  -  - 


-  _  _ 

-  -  c 


<_    <    : 

-   ;  ~ 


THE  REGENCY 

came  the  structural  fact  and  the  supports  were  in- 
adequate, insincere,  inconsistent  and  wholly  opposed 
to  the  idea  of  strength,  fitness  or  structural  form. 

This  fad  shows  that  the  intemperate  or  inordinate 
use  of  any  decorative  form,  or  of  decorative  forms  in 
any  combination,  may  lead  even  the  most  careful  into 
a  misconception  of  what  decoration  is.  how  it  is  to 
be  used,  and  what  its  relation  is  to  the  structural 
idea.  Where  fitness  to  use  is  the  first  consideration 
in  any  object  made,  structure  musl  dominate  decora- 
tion. 

The  second  se1  of  motifs  may  be  called  the  natural- 
istic. All  of  the  tendencies  of  the  time  led  to  an  admira- 
tion for  and  cultivation  of  natural  objects,  particularly 
in  gardens  and  grounds,  which  logically  brought  these 
things  into  use  for  decorative  purposes.  The  influences, 
too,  outside  of  France  (the  Oriental  and  the  Decadent 
Italian)  tended  toward  the  representation  of  men, 
animals  and  flowers  combined  in  one  unit  or  one  object 
in  such  a  way  that  by  suggestion  the  result  was  either 
nauseating,  grotesque,  or  beautifully  fantastic,  accord- 
ing io  I  he  skill  of  the  artisan. 

The  period  of  Louis  XIV  embraced  this  naturalistic 
idea,  and  I  he  period  of  Louis  XV  used  it  in  the  expres- 
sion of  the  social  ideals  for  which  the  period  stood. 
Very  natural  gardens  of  flowers,  very  suggestive  cupids, 
very  naturalistic  lords  and  ladies  and  very  intimate  cere- 
monials wen-  combined  with  the  rocaille  motif-,  par- 
ticularly in  tapestries,  paintings  and  the  decorations  of 
pottery. 

Even  on  fans,  snuff  boxes,  buttons  and  other  small 
articles  are  found,   handled  in   the  most  extraordinary 

1C1 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

and  delicate  manner,  naturalistic  pictures  whose  charm 
lies  in  the  delicacy  of  their  treatment,  the  exquisite 
garments  which  are  represented  and  the  spirit  of  the 
time  which  they  so  clearly  reflect.  When  examined 
from  the  standpoint  of  decoration,  they  of  course  lack 
the  fundamental  qualities  of  the  decorative  idea,  except 
as  it  appears,  in  this  extraordinary  period,  to  be  in 
harmony  with  the  other  modes  of  expression. 

In  colour  the  period  of  Louis  XV  presents  a  consider- 
able range  of  choice.  In  tapestries  the  backgrounds 
are  light  and  are  worked  with  the  idea  of  background 
effect.  Upon  these  appear  various  human  incidents, 
flower  forms  and  other  motifs  in  a  pictorial  way.  The 
general  effect  is  not  very  dark  or  very  light,  but  some- 
where around  middle  value.  The  period,  however,  is 
more  generally  expressed  in  brocades  of  gorgeous  col- 
ours and  wondrous  weaves,  and  in  taffeta  and  damask 
whose  quality  and  texture  bespeak  the  same  refined 
and  extravagant  sense.  A  printed  linen  was  also  made, 
which,  when  contrasted  with  the  same  material  in 
England,  gives  one  a  keen  sense  and  appreciation  of 
the  qualities  in  this  period  of  Louis  XV.  These,  like 
tapestries,  seem  to  present  a  value  a  little  above  or  a 
little  below  middle,  never  strong  and  rugged,  seldom 
weak  and  insipid. 

The  hues  of  colours  used  are  inexhaustible.  It  is  the 
French  period  for  the  development  of  colours.  There 
seems  to  be  the  widest  range  of  colour  choice  of  any 
period  in  France,  and  probably  of  any  period  of  human 
expression.  This  is  due  probably  to  extravagance  in 
all-  fields,  to  the  desire  of  each  person  to  outdo  his 
neighbour,  and  to  the  fact  that  nature,  to  be  at  all  ade- 


THE  REGENCY 

quatcly  expressed,  requires  the  whole  range  of  the  colour 
spectrum. 

The  colours  of  this  period  are  quite  intense  and  have  a 
life  ;ind  sparkle  which  is  softened  wonderfully  by  time 
and  sometimes  by  the  combinations  of  the  colours 
themselves.  A  certain  vitality  and  imaginative  effect 
is  presented  which  make  textiles  of  this  period  partic- 
ularly interesting  to  study. 

Much,  very  much,  might  be  said  of  the  development 
of  smaller  decorative  articles.  Their  name  is  legion, 
their  varieties  innumerable;  but  they,  one  and  all, 
seem  to  owe  their  existence  to  the  same  underlying 
ideas,  and  each  undoubtedly  expresses  as  nearly  as 
possible  the  answer  to  a  demand.  This  is  what  every  art 
object  in  every  period  does  if  it  submits  to  the  influence 
of  the  period. 

In  summing  up  this  period  of  Louis  XV  it  is  per- 
haps sufficient  to  say  this  is  the  social  period  of  French 
art  in  which  two  centuries  of  national  life  find  their 
full  flower  in  an  art  expression  which  combines  the 
weakness  and  the  strength  of  the  system  which  it 
represents.  When  seen  purely  from  an  artistic  stand- 
point, no  period  in  France,  and  few  in  history,  contrib- 
ute so  clearly  defined  an  elemental  force  for  design  and 
composition;  few  periods  are  less  suited  to  modern  use 
except  through  adaptation,  and  few  in  selective  quality- 
are  so  little  understood. 

This,  too,  is  a  style  in  which  the  power  of  keen  dis- 
crimination is  the  key  to  successful  use.  This  dis- 
crimination musl  come  not  from  the  acceptance  of  all 
things  in  the  period  of  Louis  XV  as  good,  but  from  a 
most  intimate  knowledge  of  what  is  being  expressed 

163 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

and  how  it  has  been  done.  One  must  never  fail  to 
reckon  with  the  forms,  the  scale,  the  material  and 
the  colour,  in  their  various  combinations  as  they  re- 
late to  the  aesthetic  ideal.  He  must  compute  their 
value  and,  knowing  his  own  problem,  use  with  the  ut- 
most discretion  these  subtle  forces  to  express  subtle 
ideas.  These  ideas  are  generally  out  of  place  when 
seen  in  huge  groups  or  entirely  by  themselves,  but,  when 
commingled  and  interrelated  with  others,  may  form 
one  of  the  most  pleasing  of  all  period  suggestions. 

The  period  of  Louis  XVI,  from  1774  to  1793,  per- 
haps developed  its  fundamental  idea  more  radically 
than  any  other  in  so  short  a  time.  During  the  period 
of  Louis  XIV  two  fundamental  impulses  or  strains  of 
domination  are  clearly  defined,  namely:  the  classic  and 
the  naturalistic.  These  were  fused  into  a  unit  in 
which  the  latter  is  prominent  in  the  decorative  scheme 
and  the  former  in  the  architectural  idea.  The  period 
of  Louis  XV  expresses  the  culmination,  decline  and 
extinction  of  this  idea  as  used  for  merely  sensuous 
exploitation. 

The  period  of  Louis  XVI  stands  for  the  fall  of  this 
ideal  and  the  restoration  of  the  classic  to  first  place  in 
the  decorative  field,  which  was  the  place  it  always  had 
held  in  French  architecture.  At  the  death  of  Louis 
XV  the  people  of  the  French  court  were  surfeited  and 
debauched  by  pleasure,  and  their  very  nature  cried 
out  for  rest  and  change.  The  finances  of  the  country 
were  drained  by  reckless  extravagance  while  money 
for  increased  splendour  was  not  forthcoming.  The 
people  were  in  no  frame  of  mind  to  submit  to  further 
taxation  or  to  continue  the  old  methods  of  supplying 
164 


jf".---^ 

■ 

... 

:f 

i 

>ni 

~       JL4 

1     >r"  Ma" 

9 

. 

:   - 


THE  REGENCY 

the  royal  treasury.  Dissatisfaction  was  rampant  not 
only  in  Paris  but  in  the  outlying  communities,  and 
murmurs  of  revoll  were  not  infrequent  before  the  ac- 
cession of  Louis  XV I . 

The  new  king  came  to  the  throne  under  the  most 
trying  circumstances  in  any  period  of  history.  He  was 
simple,  reticenl  and  retiring,  with  do  initiative  and  no 
taste  for  extremes  in  anything.  The  strong  will,  the 
brilliant  mind  and  the  resourcefulness  of  Louis  XIV 
might  have  balanced  the  ship  of  state  for  a  time  at 
least,  hut  Louis  XVI,  with  little  insight  into  national 
conditions,  was  totally  unfitted  for  the  task  of  reestab- 
lishing a  safe  basis  for  his  government.  The  new 
queen,  Marie  Antoinette,  brought  up  in  the  strict 
Austrian  court,  simple,  childish,  exuberant,  frivolous 
in  nature,  shrank  intuitively  from  all  that  the  life  at 
Versailles  expressed.  She  began  her  life  a  mere  child 
in  France,  ami  when  called  to  the  throne  was  nothing 
more  than  a  child  in  aims,  desires  and  experience. 

It  i>  astonishing  that  the  development  of  this  period 
was  so  rapid,  and  I  do  not  hesitate  to  believe  that  she 
played  a  more  important  part  in  its  development  than 
any  other  one  person,  and  that  the  influences  which 
she  championed  were  responsible  in  a  great  degree 
for  the  majority  of  the  changes  wrought.  Very  early, 
and  very  positively,  she  withdrew  herself  and  her  suite 
from  the  deceit-,  and  inconsistencies  of  the  palace  to 
the  Little  Trianon,  and  proceeded  to  build  around  her 
a  different  life  from  that  instituted  by  the  traditions 
of  the  palace.  Her  almosl  childish  love  of  sports,  her 
.  inherenl  desire  for  simple  things,  combined 
will:  a  childish  disregard  of  money  values  and  a  desire 

1G5 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

to  take  a  democratic  part  in  everything  she  saw,  led 
to  some  indiscretions,  which  I  believe  were  frequently 
interpreted  falsely. 

Not  only  was  her  personal  influence  thrown  to  the 
side  of  classicism,  but  she  sought  to  surround  herself 
with  those  persons  whose  ideals  were  of  a  nature  similar 
to  her  own.  Mingled  with  this  classic  idea  is  the  girl- 
ish, playful,  buoyant,  animal  life  which  must  express 
itself  even  under  classic  restrictions. 

Some  of  the  results  of  this  period  are  too  far  reach- 
ing to  be  ignored.  The  withdrawal  of  the  queen  and 
her  suite  to  the  Little  Trianon  was  the  first  great  step 
in  the  return  to  a  domestic  ideal.  The  palace  at  Ver- 
sailles was  a  theatre  and  a  showground  during  the 
reign  of  Louis  XIV  and  Louis  XV.  In  the  Little 
Trianon  refined  and  sane  human  beings  might  well 
live  surrounded  by  those  beautiful  things  which  were 
in  harmony  with  the  house.  The  treatment  of  the 
walls  and  ceilings,  not  to  mention  the  chimney  pieces, 
eloquently  confirms  the  truth  of  this  statement.  Few 
architects,  interior  decorators,  or  even  artists  recognize 
the  importance  of  the  treatment  of  walls  and  ceilings, 
not  to  mention  chimney  pieces. 

A  great  change  was  made  in  the  restoration  of  the 
room,  its  walls,  floor  and  ceiling,  to  the  background 
idea.  No  one  can  see  the  intimate  rooms  of  Marie 
Antoinette  without  feeling  keenly  the  struggle  that 
must  have  ensued  before  the  beautifully  spaced,  finely 
panelled  and  sensibly  decorated  walls  could  have  sup- 
planted the  gorgeous  ponderous  collection  of  trash  of 
which  the  palace  at  Versailles  is  a  constant  reminder. 

Furniture  in  this  period,  when  the  wall  was  established 
166 


THE  REGENCY 

as  a  background,  returned  to  rectangular  or  partially 

rectangular  structure;  the  supports  wore  vertical,  tin- 
cabriole  leg  disappeared,  the  contour  was  curved  and 
straight,  or  sometimes  well  spaced  straight,  the  propor- 
tions dignified  though  tiny,  consistent,  though  at  times 
a  little  dramatic.  As  to  the  number  and  importance  of 
articles,  there  was  no  great  change  from  the  previous 
period.  They  were  also  produced  in  natural  wood,  col- 
oured and  enamelled,  with  enamel,  perhaps,  in  the  as- 
cendancy. One  can  less  easily  conceive  this  style  in 
natural  wood,  yet  a  room  in  which  all  enamelled  furni- 
ture is  used  is  often  tiresome  and  uninteresting,  and  the 
discreet  use  in  this  period  of  walnut,  enamel  and  colour, 
in  the  same  room  was  too  exquisite  to  be  passed  with- 
out comment.  To  know  when  and  how  much  of  each 
of  these  to  use  is  to  be  conscious  of  the  two  influences  of 
the  period,  and  also  to  understand  artistic  requirement 
in  composition  where  variety  is  to  be  considered. 

The  ornament  was  classic,  strongly  so,  in  that  it  was 
applied  structurally,  and  many  of  the  classic  motifs 
retained  their  original  fine  proportions.  The  whole 
treatment,  however,  was  in  a  scale  so  entirely  foreign  to 
the  original  classic  idea  that  one  can  scarcely  make  a 
comparison.  The  lighter  side  of  the  influence  expressed 
itself  in  garlands  of  flowers,  delightful  little  cherubs, 
love  birds,  bow  and  arrows,  love  knots  and  the  like, 
all  of  which,  expressing  the  clean,  human,  childish  qual- 
ities of  the  queen,  constituted  the  ruling  idea. 

To  grasp  in  its  entirety  the  wonderful  change,  one 
needs  to  study  comparatively  the  painted  surfaces  of 
this  and  the  last  period,  the  treatment  of  flowers,  gar- 
land-, cherubs,  human  figures,  etc.,  and  judge  for  him- 

167 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

self  the  qualities  of  mind  which  brought  out  each  of  the 
two  types  of  feeling  and  expression  in  these  artistic 
fields.  Verily,  classic  domination  and  a  clean  idea  has 
wrought  wonders ! 

Textiles  presented  a  wide  field  of  expression.  Motifs 
were  smaller,  colours  less  mixed;  floral  patterns  became 
bisymmetric,  as  in  fact  did  most  other  ornament.  Things 
seemed  to  right  themselves  by  the  law  of  gravitation 
and  to  assume  at  least  a  miniature  appearance  of  dig- 
nity. While  inconsistencies  existed  at  times  between 
the  scale  of  ornament  in  textiles  and  the  furniture  with 
which  it  was  used,  there  was  plenty  of  room  in  this 
period  for  selection  of  things  in  perfect  harmony  in 
motif,  in  scale,  in  material  and  in  colour.  This  selective 
quality  in  combination,  as  has  been  so  often  said,  is  the 
key  to  the  true  expression  of  the  period  of  Louis  XVI. 
If  there  is  an  excess  in  this  period,  it  is  found  oftenest 
in  the  use  of  decorative  ornamental  bric-a-brac.  Un- 
doubtedly much  of  this  could  have  been  dispensed  with, 
but  the  wonder  is  that  so  much  was  left  out  and  not  that 
more  might  have  been.  If  we  can  eliminate  in  the  same 
ratio  unnecessary  and  inappropriate  things,  to-day  our 
houses  may  become  not  only  modest,  but  expressive  of 
a  taste  scarcely  equalled  in  any  age. 

To  summarize:  the  period  of  Louis  XVI  is  the  restora- 
tion of  sanity  in  French  expression.  It  is  the  redomina- 
tion  of  the  classic  ideal.  This  ideal  is  expressed,  to  be 
sure,  in  a  somewhat  dramatic,  childish,  miniature  pic- 
ture form,  but  the  element  is  there  nevertheless.  It 
marks  the  beginning  of  an  understanding  of  the  relation 
between  the  walls,  ceiling  and  floor  and  the  furnishings 
of  a  house,  and  also  of  the  relation  between  a  house  and 


THE  REGENCY 

I  he  individuality  of  the  one  who  musl  live  in  il  and  whose 
personality  is  to  be  expressed  by  it.  [ts  adaptation  to 
modem  usage  is  too  apparent  to  need  further  remark. 

It  is  nut  essential  to  speak  just  now  in  detail  of  the 
periods  of  the  Directory,  the  Restoration,  the  Consti- 
tution, nor  the  Empire.  The  Empire  is  the  most  inter- 
esting and  far  reaching  in  its  influence  of  these,  1ml  for 
our  purposes  in  treating  the  French  Styles,  its  elements 
are  Don-essential.  It  has  been  the  aim  in  treating  of 
these  styles  in  a  limited  manner  to  select  causes,  examine 
their  effects,  define  their  qualities,  and  indicate  their 
forces  for  use  in  modern  life. 


ten 


PART  II  CHAPTER  X 

THE  TUDOR  PERIOD— THE  ENGLISH  STYLES 

AS  it  was  in  France  so  was  it  in  England.  The  Ren- 
aissance was  an  affected  style.  This  was  also  true  of 
the  Gothic  in  England,  although  the  Gothic  was  indige- 
nous to  France.  The  Renaissance  was  a  natural  out- 
come of  geographical  position  and  of  social  evolution  in 
Italy.  The  English  adopted  the  Renaissance  as  a  new 
and  interesting  means  of  expressing  national  ideas. 
They  adopted  the  forms  rather  than  the  ideas  for  which 
they  stood,  and,  as  is  always  the  case,  these  forms  were 
at  first  copied,  and  later  modified,  into  what  may  be 
styled  the  English  expression  of  Italian  ideas.  The 
development  of  these  forms  in  England,  however,  was 
considerable,  although  neither  so  complete  nor  so  dis- 
tinctive as  those  in  France  under  the  inspiration  of 
Francis  I. 

In  order  to  make  a  simple  comparison  between  these 
two  national  types  that  we  may  the  more  clearly  under- 
stand the  fundamental  qualities  of  the  English  form,  it 
is  well  to  consider  first  some  of  the  elements  concerned 
in  their  development. 

In  the  first  place,  the  life  of  the  people  of  any  country 
is  the  greatest  factor  in  the  evolution  of  its  art.  It  is 
their  daily  activities  that  determine  the  needs  of  the 
time,  and  these  needs  are  satisfied  by  the  normal  pro- 
170 


THE  TUDOR  PERIOD— THE  ENGLISH  STYLES 

duction  of  such  objects  as  are  essential.  These  objects 
accordingly  represent  the  art  of  the  nation. 

Up  to  the  last  quarter  of  the  fifteenth  century  the 
English  people  may  be  said  to  have  developed  rugged, 
solid,  individual  but  primitive  expressions  of  their 
social  ideal.  This  is  partly  due  to  the  geographieal 
isolation  of  Great  Britain.  By  its  position  it  is  cut  off 
from  other  types  of  life  with  which  it  might  have,  under 
differenl  circumstances,  commingled.  It  is  also  due,  in 
part,  to  the  fact  that  the  national  mind  had  given  its 
attention  to  political  rather  than  social  development. 
But,  most  of  all,  it  may  be  attributed  to  the  mixed 
qualities  which  we  call  the  English  temperament.  Per- 
baps  we  can  perceive  something  of  this  temperamental 
aggregate  by  noticing  for  a  moment  the  strains  of  in- 
fluence which  are  fused  together  in  the  comprehensive 
term  "the  British  nation." 

This  people  is  Celtic  in  origin,  and  while  perhaps  little 
of  the  Celtic  quality  remains  in  England,  much  of  the 
feeling  is  still  present  in  the  quality  of  the  Irish  mind, 
and  no  doubt  hereditary  strains  are  clearly  traceable 
to  (his  origin  even  in  the  English.  Before  the  beginning 
of  the  Christian  era  the  Romans  had  invaded  the  British 
Islands.  By  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  century  Eng- 
land was  practically  under  their  domination,  and  to 
this  day  appear  inerasable  marks  of  tin-  power  of  that 
mighty  nal ion. 

The  early  Britons  mingled  with  and  absorbed  many 
of  the  Roman  traditions,  particularly  in  political  and 
social  life,  which  remain  as  mountain-lop  traits  in  Eng- 
lish modern  life.  In  the  first  place,  English  law  is  based 
-Milieu hat   upon  Roman  law.     Much  of  jurisprudence, 

171 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

political  organization,  and  desire  for  territorial  expan- 
sion, as  well  as  substantial,  formal,  warlike  measures, 
are  of  Roman  origin.  These  elemental  factors  have  pro- 
duced qualities  of  solidity,  strength,  formality,  conserv- 
atism and  fearlessness,  which  are  fundamentals  in  the 
English  character  and  are  clearly  discernible  in  their  art. 

Before  the  eighth  century  Roman  power  had  grad- 
ually declined,  and  the  invasion  of  the  Anglo-Saxons 
with  their  traditions  of  somewhat  barbaric  domesticity 
brought  into  the  language,  social  forms  and  domestic 
relationships,  the  Teutonic  qualities  which  are  percepti- 
ble in  the  domestic  ideals  of  English  life.  The  amalga- 
mation of  the  Anglo-Saxons  and  the  added  domestic 
ideas  of  the  Danes  furnished  a  remarkable  complement 
to  the  formal  imperialism  of  the  Roman  time. 

The  tendency  toward  democratic  equality,  the  in- 
clination for  comfort  and  moderation,  and  the  distinctly 
non-monarchic  viewpoint  of  these  Anglo-Saxon  invaders 
were  also  strong  factors  in  the  rapid  development  of  the 
home  idea  in  England  after  the  beginning  of  the  eighth 
century.  But  this  was  interrupted  and  greatly  modi- 
fied by  the  invasion  of  the  Norman  French  under  Wil- 
liam the  Conqueror  about  the  middle  of  the  eleventh 
century.  Very  different  was  this  ideal  from  the  crude 
democratic  social  ideal  of  the  two  previous  centuries. 
With  William  the  Conqueror  came  the  feudal  system, 
with  all  its  military  power,  caste  system  and  monarchic 
principles.  He  laid  the  foundation  for  the  absolute 
monarchy  which  reached  its  height  under  Henry  VIII  at 
the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

Brief  mention  of  these  different  races  has  been  made 
here  to  stimulate  an  inquiry  regarding  the  different 
172 


THE  TUDOR  PERIOD— THE  ENGLISH  STYLES 

phases  of  the  English  periods  in  order  thai  il  may  be 
kepi  in  mind  thai  the  British  people  are  the  mosl  mixed, 
comprehensive  and  varied  in  experience  of  all  nations. 
In  consequence  of  this  complexity,  they  have  perhaps 
more  ideas  to  express  and  less  definitely  formulated 
traditions  in  one  style  of  expression.  Their  ideas  have 
been  less  thoroughly  worked  oul  than  those  of  cations 
which  have  had  one  ideal  from  time  immemorial,  and 
have  expressed  il  in  traditional  forms  that  grew  more 
and  more  insistent  until  the  climax  was  reached,  when 
decadence  sel  in  and  resulted  in  I  he  destruction  of  the 
original  idea. 

The  second  factor  which  has  influenced  in  a  large  de- 
gree English  art  expression  is  their  peculiar  political 
viewpoint.  In  no  country  has  there  been  so  decided  a 
Conflict  between  supreme  monarchic  power  and  demo- 
cratic ideals  as  in  the  national  history  of  this  remarkable 
people.  One  has  only  to  remember  the  Magna  Charta 
and  the  steps  which  led  to  it,  all  that  followed  its  ac- 
ceptance, the  climax  of  absolutism  under  Henry  VIII, 
the  peculiar  strategic  ideal  of  Elizabeth,  the  ups  and 
downs  of  the  Stuart  dynasty,  the  peculiar  outcome  of 
the  Dutch  regime  under  'William  and  Mary,  the  vicissi- 
tudes  of  the  Georges,  and  the  remarkable  constitutional 
monarchy  under  Victoria,  to  see  how  dillicult  it  is  to 
consider  the  English  periods  as  expressing  monarchic 
ideas  alone.  In  France  the  period  of  Francis  I  or 
Louis  XIV  or  Louis  XV  was  dominated  supremely  by 
the  monarch  and  his  associates.  The  corresponding 
English  periods,  while  somewhat  under  the  direction  of 
the  monarch,  owed  their  origin  to  national  ideas  rather 
than  to  monarchic'  whims. 

173 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

The  third  factor  which  has  played  no  small  part  in 
the  development  of  the  people  is  their  attitude  to  the 
Christian  religion,  which  was  generally  embraced  by 
the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century.  The  English 
Church,  though  Roman  in  its  origin,  was  always  less 
clearly  identified  with  the  general  movement  than 
were  those  of  the  continent.  By  the  last  days  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  when  Henry  VII  had  completed 
the  chapel  in  Westminster  Abbey,  the  Gothic  influence 
had  spent  its  force,  and  already  the  secular  in  life  was 
making  itself  felt.  This  period  in  England  corresponds 
to  that  of  Louis  XII  in  France.  The  English  up  to 
this  time  had  less  contact  with  Italy  and  other  con- 
tinental countries  than  had  France,  and  had  developed 
a  very  crude  type  of  interior  architecture  and  domestic 
furnishing.  The  houses  were  mostly  made  of  wood 
and  during  the  reign  of  Henry  VII  became  picturesque 
to  a  degree. 

While  we  must  ignore  architecture  in  its  exterior 
forms  in  this  book,  a  general  feeling  for  the  "English- 
man's home  as  his  castle"  will  be  found  in  the  middle 
and  upper  class  house  of  the  period  just  named.  The 
furnishings,  it  is  true,  were  crude  and  consisted  mainly 
of  a  Gothic  chest,  a  roughly  finished  oak  table,  a  pos- 
sible bread  and  cheese  cupboard  and  primitive  benches. 
Unlike  those  of  the  same  period  in  France,  they  were 
lacking  in  structural  niceties  and  subtle  decorative 
Gothic  ornament. 

The  home  idea,  however,  was  innate  and  the  head 
of  the  family  supreme,  while  the  individual  rights  of 
the  family  were  jealously  maintained.  The  days  of 
Henry  VTII  and  the  establishment  of  the  English 
174 


THE  TUDOR  PERIOD-THE  ENGLISH  STYLES 

Church  in  its  present  form,  with  the  king  as  the  hered- 
itary head,  the  constant  conflict  between  the  mother 
church  and  the  reformed  faith,  the  dissensions  and  sep- 
arations consequent  upon  this  conflict,  arc  too  well 
known  to  require  more  than  a  passing  word.  The  type 
of  religion  or  religious  form  which  prevailed  influenced 
greatly  the  art  of  the  time  and,  sometimes,  dominated  its 
style. 

With  these  four  great  influences  in  mind,  and  with 
a  mental  picture  of  the  English  people,  one  is  fitted, 
with  the  aid  of  imagination,  to  understand  the  meaning 
of  the  Renaissance  in  England. 

The  art  periods  may  be  summarized  as  follows: 

The  Tudor  period  from  about  1500  to  1603. 

The  Sluarl  period  from  1G03  to  1088. 

The  Dutch  influence  from  1G88  to  1750. 

The  Individual  period  from  1750  to  1837. 

The  Victorian  period  from  1837  to  1000. 

The  New  Renaissance  from  1900  to  the  present  day. 

For  our  purposes  the  Tudor  period  may  be  divided 
into  two  parts — that  of  Henry  VIII,  who  came  to  the 
throne  in  1509  and  died  in  1547,  and  that  of  Elizabeth, 
extruding  from  the  time  she  came  to  the  throne  in 
1558  to  her  death  in  1003. 

The  reigns  of  Mary  Tudor  and  Edward  VI  made 
little  impress  on  the  period  and  need  not  be  mentioned 
here.  Sometimes  writers  have  classed  this  cut  in- 
period  as  Elizabethan,  and  have  spoken  of  the  Tudor 
as  the  period  including  the  reigns  of  Henry  VII  and 
VIII.  It  seems  to  me,  however,  that  a  clearer  idea  may 
be  obtained  by  looking  al  the  Tudor  period  as  the  ex- 
pression of  two  distincl  types  of  ideas. 

175 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

The  reign  of  Henry  VIII  is  characterized  by  some 
remarkable  changes.  The  climax  of  absolute  rule 
enabled  the  king  and  his  ministers  to  dominate  in  a 
large  measure  the  public  mind,  while  the  religious 
attitude  of  the  country  was  so  modified  that  the  favour- 
ite of  the  king  (his  wife  for  the  time  being)  had  a  great 
deal  of  influence  on  the  development  of  the  style.  This 
new  attitude  in  English  court  life  to  the  domestic  idea 
had  a  general  bearing  on  the  rapidity  with  which  the 
style  was  evolved. 

We  must  not  spend  time  in  discussing  the  phe- 
nomenal evolution  of  the  English  house,  though  a  fa- 
miliarity with  its  history  will  add  greatly  to  one's 
appreciation  of  its  furnishings  and  fittings. 

With  the  establishment  of  the  new  English  church 
form  and  with  the  domestic  ideal  determined  by  the 
king  and  his  court,  some  fitting  expression  of  these 
ideas  would  naturally  be  sought.  Their  attention  was 
first  turned  to  Italy.  Italian  furniture,  textiles,  orna- 
ment and  even  the  artists  themselves  were  brought 
into  England.  These  arrivals  increased  with  the 
ascendancy  of  Anne  Boleyn,  and  continued  after  she 
gave  place  to  others.  The  style  then  prevailing  may 
be  said  to  be  a  modification  of  the  Italian  Renaissance 
without  a  proper  conception  of  the  interior  as  a  setting 
for  the  requisite  furnishings. 

While  Henry  VIII  and  his  reign  are  responsible  for 
the  Elizabethan  period,  its  maturity  is  found  in  the 
days  of  Elizabeth  herself,  and  for  that  reason  we  deal 
with  the  Elizabethan  period  as  the  culminating 
expression  of  what  is  known  as  the  old  English 
idea. 

173 


AN   OLD    ENGLISH    (    Mil  M.I    WHOSE    MATERIAL,    SIZE    \  \  I  >   -  I  I;  n    I  I   I;  I . 

EXPRESS    ."    VLITIES  Ol     rilE  ELIZABETHAN    PERIOD;    BIT    WHOSE 

GENERAL  PROPORTIONS  OI  FORM,  PANELS,  MOI  LDINGS  VND  LINES 
SL'GOESl  Mil  RESTRAINT,  SIMPLICITY  \M'  CONSISTENT1!  Ol  Mil 
■  LASSK  . 


THE  TUDOR  PERIOD— THE  ENGLISH  STYLES 

In  (ho  reign  of  Elizabeth  interiors  reached  the  stage 

of  development  in  which  the  pointed  Gothic  liai !- 

beam  roof  with  its  modifications  had  given  place  to  a 
flat  modified  Renaissance  ceiling.  The  walls  during 
this  period  were  panelled  in  three  or  four  distinct 
types  of  oak  panelling,  each  an  evolution  from  the 
other,  each  gradually  dropping  its  carved  Renaissance 
motifs  and  becoming  flatter  with  fewer  and  less  ornate 
mouldings.  These  old  English  panelled  walls  are 
radiantly  expressive  of  I  he  dignity  and  sober  earnestness 
of  the  period  itself.  Some  are  beautifully  arranged 
with  pilasters  whose  faces  are  carved  in  Renaissance 
motifs.  The  cornices  are  equally  beautiful,  and  ceilings 
are  modification-  of  the  Italian  idea,  generally  in  a 
remarkably  sustained  way.  The  chimney  pieces  are 
often  large,  elaborately  carved  and  chiselled,  running 
sometimes  to  the  ceiling  itself,  and  heavy  with  Renais- 
sance ornament  and  other  motifs. 

The  furniture  is  chiefly  oak  and  is  distinguished 
by  its  heavy  scale,  the  beautiful  sofl  tones  of  the  wood, 
and  by  the  awkward  proportions  of  the  structural 
features,  particularly  during  the  middle  of  this  period. 
Perhaps  the  most  distinguishing  quality  is  the  series 
of  huge  bulges  in  the  legs  0f  tables  and  in  bed  posts,  and 
the  Ugly  proportion  of  the  Ionic  capital  as  it  was  used 
with  these  bulges  in  the  supports  of  tables,  beds  and  on 
cabinets.  The  surfaces  of  these  supports  are  a  mass 
of  carving,  crudely  wrought  and  often  badly  propor- 
tioned, hut  rich  in  general  effect.  They  bespeak  a 
desire  to  accomplish  in  English  scale  and  feeling  the 
same  result  that  Francis  I  developed  in  working  out 
the  idea   in   the  supports  of  the  furniture  in  the  period 

177 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

which  he  dominated.  The  difference  in  effect,  how- 
ever, is  remarkable. 

Articles  of  furniture  were  few  in  number  even  in  the 
days  of  Elizabeth.  Those  most  commonly  found  were 
the  bread  and  cheese  cupboard,  which  served  for  almost 
anything  that  was  to  be  put  out  of  sight,  the  huge  oak 
table  with  its  ponderous  top  and  often  badly  propor- 
tioned legs,  the  crude  bench  which  took  the  place  of 
chairs  at  the  table,  the  bed,  wood  canopied  with  huge 
bulbous  posts,  the  wainscot  chair,  wood  throughout, 
almost  grotesque  in  its  form  and  ornament,  and  various 
chests  which  naturally  followed  the  Gothic  chest  of 
the  period  preceding. 

Panelled  walls  at  first  were  covered  with  huge  tapes- 
tries, and  the  floor  with  rushes  or  a  kind  of  straw  to 
soften  sound  and  make  the  room  more  comfortable.  A 
little  later,  through  the  influence  of  the  wonderful 
Holbein,  portraits  were  developed  which,  in  spirit  and 
technique  as  well  as  in  size  and  form,  found  a  proper 
place  over  the  chimney  pieces  and  on  the  walls  of  these 
heavily  panelled  oak  rooms  to  which  they  lent  a  needed 
richness. 

In  the  early  forms  of  the  banquet  hall  with  its  Gothic 
vaulted  ceiling,  its  huge  tapestried  walls,  its  floors 
strewn  with  rushes  upon  which  the  hunting  dogs  lay  at 
the  feet  of  their  masters,  heads  of  deer  and  other  animals 
found  a  fairly  suitable  place  upon  the  walls  as  they  were 
hung  amid  the  helmets,  armour  and  hunting  imple- 
ments of  the  masters  of  the  house.  Picture,  for  a 
moment,  this  banquet  hall  and  the  zoological  orna- 
ments which  seem  a  natural  part  of  it,  and  then  con- 
sider the  inappropriateness  of  transferring  this  armour, 
178 


TIIE  TUDOR  PERIOD— THE  ENGLISH  STYLES 

these  implements,  and  these  deer  heads  to  a  modern,  six- 
teen-by-eighteen  Chippendale-furnished  dining-room. 
Is  it  any  wonder  that  there  is  need  for  the  study  of 
period  art  to  see  where  the  mistreatment  of  the  tradi- 
tions of  bygone  ages  has  brought  us? 

The  textiles  of  this  period  are  dark,  rich  tapestries, 
velvets  and  damasks.  Rich  indeed  were  they  in  the 
days  of  Henry  VIII,  while  they  were  dark  and  formal 
in  the  days  of  Elizabeth.  The  remarkable  harmony  of 
the  value  relation  between  these  and  their  surroundings 
explains  the  sombre  impressiveness  of  the  period  known 
as  the  Elizabethan. 

The  application  of  the  Elizabethan  style  may  be 
suggested  here.  Its  scale  is  magnificent  and  it  lends 
itself  naturally  to  exploitation  in  expensive  country 
houses,  and  is  also  of  use  in  working  out  a  scheme  for 
a  man's  room  or  for  cafes  in  large  hotels.  It  has  un- 
limited possibilities  for  adaptation  in  the  interior  dec- 
oration and  furnishing  of  theatres.  American  theatres 
have  been  largely  a  barbaric  American  expression  of 
mixed  French  styles  which  mean  nothing  but  glamour 
and  ostentation  and  which  serve  no  good  purpose,  since 
the  auditorium  of  a  theatre  should  be  a  background, 
keeping  its  place  as  such  and  giving  the  stage  and  the 
actors  on  it  a  chance  for  at  least  a  part  of  the  public 
attention. 

This  Elizabethan  period  with  its  panellings,  its  dark, 
rich  colours,  its  soft  and  neutral  combinations,  its  heavy 
and  dignified  scale,  should  appeal  more  strongly  than 
any  other  to  people  of  good  taste  as  an  expression  of  the 
function  of  a  theatre  auditorium  in  which  the  size  will 
permit  the  English  scale. 

179 


PART  n  CHAPTER  XI 

THE    STUART    PERIOD    AND    THE     DUTCH 
INFLUENCE 


THE  Tudor  period  may  justly  be  said  to  stand  for 
the  Renaissance  in  England,  for  the  Stuart  period 
(1603  to  1689)  is  the  most  distinctly  national  of  any 
of  the  English  periods.  By  the  end  of  the  Elizabethan 
period  the  Italian  Renaissance  influence  had  almost 
entirely  disappeared.  Such  ideas  and  their  forms  as 
were  still  in  use  gave  way  rapidly  under  the  new  regime. 

This  period  is  sometimes  styled  the  Jacobean,  but 
the  term  is  so  broad  because  of  the  dissimilarity  of  the 
different  parts  in  the  period  itself  that  it  is  unwise  to 
think  of  it  as  describing  any  one  particular  phase  of  the 
three  parts  into  which  the  period  naturally  divides 
itself.  The  reigns  of  James  I  and  Charles  I  mark  the 
first  epoch,  the  Commonwealth  the  second,  and  the 
reigns  of  Charles  II  and  James  II  the  third.  The 
names  of  these  rulers  are  synonymous  with  certain 
ideals  which  are  really  the  governing  principles  in  the 
lives  and  activities  of  the  time. 

The  sturdy,  sordid  James  I  brought  from  Scot- 
land those  monarchic  and  religious  differences  which 
opened  the  way  for  the  Puritan  development  and  the 
resultant  Puritan  expression.  Instead  of  pageant, 
glamour,  show,  display  and  noise,  the  period  became 
180 


THE  STUART  PERIOD 

the  expression  of  moderation,  reserve,  economic  con- 
servation an<l  personal  mortification.  There  was  uo 
longer  a  tendency  to  use  more  wood,  more  colour  or 
more  metal  than  were  essential  to  express  an  idea. 
Both  James  I  and  Cromwell  had  other  ways  to  spend 
the  money  at  their  command. 

The  people,  particularly  the  Separatists,  taught 
and  practised  the  strictest  self-restraint  and  decried 
loudly  all  symbolic,  religious  or  social  expression  which 
in  any  way  mighl  lend  colour  to  the  so-called  idolatrous 
practices  of  the  time.  Personal  discomfort,  a  revolt 
againsl  sensual  beauty  as  sinful,  and  a  crusade  againsl 
unnecessary  expenditure  of  money  for  personal  grati- 
fication became  the  leading  ideas  of  the  time. 

These  tendencies  culminated  in  the  commonwealth, 
when  all  kinds  of  domestic  objects  became  scant  in 
their  material  and  particularly  uncomfortable  in  their 
construction.  They  were  sparsely  ornamented  with 
the  crudest  kind  of  flat-faced  carving  and  were,  withal, 
calculated  to  satisfy  only  the  absolute  needs  of  man, 
disregarding  entirely  I  he  sesl  be1  ic  sense  as  well  as  bodily 
ease. 

This  period,  marking  the  first  and  second  expressions 
of  the  Jacobean  style,  furnished  the  foundation  for  the 
earliest  Colonial  forms  in  the  United  Slates.  The 
people  who  fled  to  Holland  and  thence  to  Massachusetts 
retained  the  characteristics  of  the  English  of  that  time, 
as  did  also  those  who  settled  .Jamestown  and  founded 
the  Southern  colonies  during  the  seventeenth  century. 
New  England,  more  than  any  other  part  of  I  he  United 
State-,  expressed  for  years  the  frugal  conservatism 
which  so  manifestly  dominated  the  Jacobean  period. 

181 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  Separatist  party  brought 
to  England  many  Flemish  workers  who  were  also 
Protestants  in  their  religious  views.  These  brought 
with  them  two  structural  ideas  which  were  adopted, 
perhaps  in  part  because  they  were  economical  and  also 
because  they  were  new.  The  first  of  these  is  twisted 
wood,  which  is  the  dominating  characteristic  of  chair 
and  table  supports  during  the  period  of  Charles  I  and 
Cromwell.  This  appeared  also  in  the  days  of  James 
I,  and  was  found  in  frequent  use  until  the  advent  of 
William  and  Mary,  but  during  the  days  of  Charles  and 
Cromwell  it  dominated  all  other  styles  of  furniture 
support.  The  other  element  is  known  as  the  Flemish 
scroll.  This  scroll,  which  is  the  same  that  was  intro- 
duced into  France  and  used  so  much  in  the  days  of 
Henry  IV,  Louis  XIII  and  Louis  XIV,  was  in  reality 
an  Italian  device  which  the  Flemish  had  seized  and 
adopted  as  a  national  form. 

The  Italian  pieces,  too,  which  came  to  England 
in  the  last  days  of  the  Elizabethan  period  no  doubt 
influenced  somewhat  the  adoption  of  this  scroll  idea. 
The  period  is  characterized  by  the  use  and  abuse  of  the 
scroll  in  the  backs  of  chairs,  their  understrapping,  the 
arms  and  in  other  parts  of  furniture.  Sometimes  these 
are  restrained,  well  carried  out  and  structurally  more 
or  less  appropriate.  At  other  times  they  are  wild  in 
their  choice  and  arrangement,  heavy,  badly  spaced 
and  ungainly,  as  well  as  inartistic  in  their  proportions 
and  in  relationship  to  the  article  in  which  they  are 
found.  The  chairs  of  the  early  period  are  high  backed, 
very  straight,  with  a  small  wooden  seat,  and  are  uncom- 
fortable withal.     During  the  reign  of  James  they  were 


THE  STUART  PERIOD 

upholstered  in  leather,  later  in  velvet  and,  occasion- 
ally, in  tapestry.  During  the  reign  of  Charles  they 
became  low  in  back,  rather  cubical  in  shape  and  broad 
in  seat.  The  seat  and  arms  were  upholstered  in  velvet 
and  even  damask,  as  the  tendency  to  a  luxurious  court 
life  made  itself  felt  in  opposition  to  the  strictly  econom- 
ical ideas  of  the  religious  party. 

The  rule  of  Cromwell,  however,  produced  a  reaction, 
and  a  strict  return  to  wood  for  discomfort's  sake  was 
the  law  of  the  day.  Chests  were  legion.  These  were 
of  oak,  often  entirely  covered  in  a  flat-faced  carving 
with  leafage  and  modified  Renaissance  forms.  They 
were  crude,  stiff  and  ugly,  but  interesting  and  some- 
what attractive  as  expressing  permanence  and  a  primi- 
tive quality  as  untouched  by  the  Renaissance  idea  and 
uncontaminated  by  French  influence. 

This  period  had  a  distinct  individuality  up  to  the 
time  of  the  accession  of  Charles  II.  Except  for  the 
Flemish  influence  it  may  be  said  to  be  strictly  the  ex- 
pression of  the  middle-class  English  home.  So  possible 
is  it  of  reproduction  that  all  sorts  of  modifications  are 
already  in  use  in  this  country  and  the  department 
stores  are  alive  with  Jacobean  furniture,  even  to  Jaco- 
bean rocking  chairs,  which,  by  the  way,  are  the  last 
article  of  human  use  that  should  be  made  in  Jacobean 
form.  Gate-legged  tables  are  popular  and  seem  to  ex- 
press the  same  qualities  as  those  described  in  chairs 
and  other  articles  of  furniture. 

The  interior  was,  during  this  period,  si  ill  oak  panelled, 
though  elaborate  mouldings  and  Renaissance  carvings 
were  entirely  out  of  place.  Beamed  ceilings  not  only 
made  their  appearance,  but   were  the  dominating  I'ea- 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

ture  of  the  Jacobean  room  as  turned  and  twisted  wood 
was  of  the  furniture  in  it.  The  wood  was  mostly  oak, 
dark  and  rich  in  colour.  The  textiles  which  were  used, 
and  those  which  ought  to  be,  represented  two  types. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  printed  linens  of  the  time, 
which  were  strongly  contrasting  in  value,  huge  in  pat- 
tern and  scale,  and  scrawly  in  motion,  though  in  some 
instances  entirely  out  of  feeling  with  the  period,  are  the 
most  characteristic  of  any  textile.  Velvets  seemed  too 
rich,  except  for  the  period  of  Charles  II,  leather  too 
brutal  and  damasks  out  of  the  question.  If  either  of 
the  latter  are  used  in  an  adaptation  of  this  style,  they 
should  have  inconspicuous  patterns  in  rather  small  scale 
with  fairly  close  values  and  a  dull,  unobtrusive  finish. 

The  last  part  of  this  period,  beginning  with  the 
reign  of  Charles  II  is,  strictly  speaking,  though  Jaco- 
bean, not  an  English  art  period.  The  sympathies  of 
the  monarch  were  French.  He  was  French  in  ideal 
and  practice  as  much  as  it  was  possible  to  be  and  main- 
tain an  apparent  ascendancy  over  the  English  people. 
He  adopted  French  manners  and  customs  and  was 
often  in  France,  or  had  his  workmen  there,  copying 
and  adapting  the  ideas  of  Louis  XIV.  In  a  word,  the 
period  of  Charles  II  may  be  said  to  be  the  Jacobean 
fused  with  the  Louis  XIV  in  a  scale  and  colour  combina- 
tion and  an  ornament  display  that  accorded  with  the 
intelligence  and  the  practices  of  Charles  II.  The 
student  of  periods  will  find  keen  enjoyment  in  the  his- 
tory of  Charles  II  and  the  development  of  interior  art 
which  was  the  expression  of  the  demand  of  the  day. 

To  see  the  Jacobean  period  as  a  whole  or  as  the  ex- 
pression of  one  idea  is  quite  impossible.  It  must  be 
184 


THE  STUART  PERIOD 

considered  as  three  distinct  periods,  with  al  least  two 
distinct  ideas  one  the  domination  of  all  those  qualities 
which  arc  summed  up  in  the  word  Puritan;  the  oilier, 
the  readaptation  of  the  qualities  of  Puritanism  to  a 
profligate  court  life  with  a  Louis  XIV  period  as  the 
well-spring  from  which  to  draw  material  for  this  ex- 
pression. 

The  period  of  James  II  does  not  count,  and  the 
domination  of  the  ideas  of  Charles  ends  in  the  abdica- 
tion of  James  Hand  the  recall  of  Mary  from  the  Nether- 
lands with  William,  who  was  by  birth  and  inheritance 
a  democratic  Dutch  ruler  and  not  an  English  king. 

To  attempt  to  .show  the  Palladian  influence  on  Eng- 
land or  the  wonderful  effects  brought  about  by  Inigo 
Jones  would  be  the  work  of  a  volume.  The  omission 
is  perhaps  excusable  since  our  aim  is  only  to  sense,  if 
possible,  the  spirit  of  the  time  to  such  a  degree  thai 
the  use  of  objects  will  not  be  entirely  the  result  of  ig- 
norant choice. 


185 


PART  II  CHAPTER  XII 

THE  DUTCH  INFLUENCE,  OR  THE  PERIOD 
OF   QUEEN   ANNE 

AS  one  reviews  the  successive  changes  that  have 
taken  place  in  the  art  of  furnishing  in  the  English 
styles,  it  will  generally  be  found  that  under  normal 
conditions  the  evolution  from  one  style  to  another 
has  been  gradual.  The  characteristics  and  distinguish- 
ing features  of  the  old  forms  became  weaker,  and  those 
of  the  new  style  grew  stronger  by  degrees  until  the  first 
were  lost  in,  or  supplanted  by,  the  last. 

This  accounts  in  many  periods  for  the  mixed  objects 
called  transition  pieces  which  are  so  troublesome  to 
the  student  of  period  styles.  To  make  these  freak 
pieces  special  objects  of  study  is  detrimental  to  a  gen- 
eral understanding  of  those  qualities  which  make  for 
distinctive  period  limitations.  It  is  advisable,  there- 
fore, to  consider  first  always  types  of  periods  at  the  full 
flower  of  their  expression  rather  than  in  the  forms  of 
the  pieces  just  described.  In  no  phase  of  applied  art  is 
this  transition  more  clearly  distinguishable  than  in  the 
styles  in  furniture. 

The  English  periods  are  less  distinctly  traceable, 
one  to  the  other,  than  those  of  any  other  country.  This 
is  due  to  the  fact  that  British  conservatism  adopted 
ideas  less  easily,  assimilated  them  more  slowly,  and 
186 


THE  DUTCH  INFLUENCE 

more  naturally  evolved  its  own  expressions  as  different 
ideas  dominated  the  period. 

The  Elizabethan  and  Stuart  periods  differed  radi- 
cally in  the  idea  which  they  expressed,  but  in  some 
ways  the  characteristics  were  identical.  For  example, 
the  furniture  was  principally  oak.  carved  when  orna- 
mented at  all,  rectangular  in  structure,  uncomfortable 
and  architecturally  structural  in  its  detail.  The 
change  that  came  about  with  the  advent  of  the  present 
style  was  not  overwhelmingly  sudden,  but  it  wras  sure. 
Before  considering  these  radical  changes  we  will  look 
for  a  moment  to  the  causes  which  brought  about  this 
revolution  in  the  household  idea. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  1G88  James  II  aban- 
doned the  English  throne  for  a  more  congenial  life  in 
France,  and  that  his  prerogative  as  king  was  assumed 
by  one  William  the  Stadtholder,  whose  reasons  for 
succession  were  that  he  was  a  grandson  of  Charles  I 
and  also  a  son-in-law  of  James  II,  whose  daughter, 
Mary,  he  had  married.  This  man  William,  although 
the  ruler  of  the  democratic  Netherlands,  is  said  to  have 
been  a  man  who  never  knew  when  he  was  beaten,  and 
he  came  to  England  with  the  avowed  intention  of 
becoming  an  absolute  dictator,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  thai  hi-  queen  had  the  Stronger  claim  lo  supreme" 
authority. 

Life  in  the  Netherlands  al  that  time  was  pronouncedly 
domestic.  The  ideals  and  practices  of  the  country 
differed  so  decidedly  from  those  of  England  that  the 

needs  of  the  people   had   produced  a   domestic   type  of 

furnishing  not  concerned  with  courl  ceremonial,  but 
suitable  for  middle-class  life  and  ordinary  household 

1S7 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

use.  Dutch  forms  and  Dutch  treatment  were  more 
democratic  and  more  varied  than  those  found  during 
the  Tudor  or  the  Stuart  dynasties  in  England.  With 
the  coming  of  William  and  Mary  came  shiploads  of 
Dutch  furniture  and  furnishings,  as  well  as  hordes  of 
Dutch  court  officials,  artists  and  craftsmen.  This  Dutch 
invasion  is  the  reason  for  the  rapidly  changing  forms 
of  this  period  style. 

To  be  sure,  not  all  the  people  of  England  accepted 
Dutch  social  standards,  but  gradually  people  of  influ- 
ence did  so,  and  the  rigid  adherence  of  the  court  to  the 
methods  of  the  mother  country  finally  resulted  in 
placing  the  stamp  of  Dutch  influence  upon  all  things 
made.  It  followed  that  the  period  forms  of  the  era 
which  had  passed  were  almost  eradicated. 

Religious  toleration  had  become  a  sufficiently  fixed 
policy  to  make  the  church  of  practically  no  moment  in 
determining  the  style. 

This  period,  then,  is  the  Dutch  Domestic  period 
filtered  through  English  experience,  and  results  in 
what  is  known  as  the  Queen  Anne  period;  though,  in 
fact,  Queen  Anne  herself  had  no  more  to  do  with  the 
period  than  did  the  king  of  the  Congo  tribes,  except 
that  her  tendencies  as  a  gardener  and  seamstress  influ- 
enced somewhat  the  naturalistic  motifs,  particularly 
in  printed  linens  and  embroidered  tapestries.  The 
great  vogue  of  these  tapestries  was  the  natural  out- 
growth of  her  attitude  and  that  of  the  ladies  of  the 
court  to  needlework. 

As  has  been  said,  the  change  in  period  forms  was 
almost  revolutionary.  We  must  remember  that  up 
to  this  time  rectangular  forms  and  straight-lined  con- 


THE  DUTCH  INFLUENCE 

struction  dominated  the  manufacture  of  English  furni- 
ture. Flemish  scrolls  or  curved  tonus  were  not  used 
in  construction  in  the  Elizabethan  period  and  only  in  ;i 
limited  way  in  the  Jacobean  period.  An  occasional 
chair  arm  or  back  mighl  suggest  the  curved  line,  but 
even  this  was  dominated  by  straight  ones.  An  im- 
portant fact  isthat  tables  and  chair  legs  were  generally 
square  or  turned  or  twisted  wood,  generally  straight. 
They  were  guilty  of  no  shaping  except  in  rare  instances. 
The  pediment  and  other  classic  structural  motifs  wen- 
unknown. 

In  short,  curved-line  construction  appeared  to  he 
studiously  avoided.  How  remarkable  a  change  oc- 
curred in  this  respeel  with  the  advent  of  the  Dutch 
influence!  Formal,  unrelenting  sternness  gave  way 
before  a  more  graceful  shaping,  as  curves  became  the 
fashion.  In  Elizabethan  days  a  chair  could  not  be 
made  comfortable  DO  mailer  how  much  it  was  uphol- 
stered or  cushioned,  hut  in  this  new  type  the  chair 
began  to  assume  the  lines  which  the  human  form  de- 
mands for  its  comfort . 

This  idea  alone  is  sufficient  to  mark  a  step  forward 
in  the  development  of  furniture,  though  this  develop- 
ment reached  its  culmination  later.  The  proportions 
and  quantities  of  material  were  lighter  iii  the  structure 
of  the  William  and  Mary  period,  hut  with  Queen  Anne 
the  strength,  size  and  scale  increased  again.  In  1720 
mahogany  was  in  I  rod  need  into  England,  and  from  then 
on  if  rapidly  grew  in  favour  unt  il  it  well-nigh  dominated 
the  English  expression  and  found  its  natural  echo  in 
our  Colonial  sly].--,  which  have  been  SO  much  admired 
and  in  some  cases  overrated. 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

When  these  details  are  compared  with  the  cold, 
formal  and  primitive  expressions  of  the  Jacobean,  with 
the  flagrantly  vulgar  types  sometimes  seen  in  the  period 
of  Louis  XIV  or  the  Decadent  products  of  the  late 
Italian  Renaissance,  the  Queen  Anne  forms  give  us  a 
sense  of  relief,  and  the  Colonial  seems  a  step  into  the 
light.  But,  when  considered  from  the  standpoint  of 
artistic  and  significant  form  based  on  subtlety  in  pro- 
portion, scale  and  treatment,  not  all  Colonial  pieces 
are  as  beautiful  as  they  are  sometimes  believed  to  be. 

The  early  part  of  the  period  marked  the  evolution 
out  of  the  Jacobean  type.  Its  products  are  distin- 
guished by  a  lighter,  more  aspiring  quality,  a  grace  and 
charm  acquired  through  the  use  of  cane  in  seats  and 
backs  of  chairs,  a  freer  interpretation  of  the  Flemish 
scroll,  a  gradual  shaping  of  the  objects  to  the  human 
figure  and  to  their  particular  requirements.  The 
wood  was  generally  oak,  birch  or  walnut,  but  when 
mahogany  was  introduced  it  rapidly  took  the  place 
of  all  other  woods,  and  by  the  end  of  the  Queen  Anne 
period  almost  held  the  field  alone.  The  tremendous 
difference  between  the  carved  and  turned  treatment 
of  the  earlier  types  and  the  perfectly  plain,  flat,  smooth 
surface  of  the  mahogany  period  marks  a  variation 
worthy  of  notice. 

The  most  radical  change  in  structure  is  found  in  the 
national  adoption  of  the  cabriole  leg  and  the  curve 
of  its  construction  as  represented  in  the  contour  of 
various  articles  of  furniture  of  the  period.  The  cab- 
riole leg,  imported  from  the  Netherlands,  earlier 
from  France,  and  still  earlier  from  Italy,  is  the  dis- 
tinguishing characteristic  not  only  of  the  Queen  Anne 
190 


THE  DUTCH  INFLUENCE 

support,  but  it  is  also  that  of  the  early  work  of  Chip- 
pendale. 

One  gains  perhaps  as  clear  a  conception  of  the  differ- 
ence between  the  French  and  English  feeling  in  their 
treatment  of  this  element  as  in  any  other  art  form  of 
historical  significance.  Compare  the  cabriole  leg  of  the 
Queen  Anne  chair  in  scale,  in  sinuousness  of  curve,  in 
beauty  of  proportion,  in  balance,  with  that  of  the  ideal 
cabriole  used  in  the  period  of  Louis  XV.  The  latter — 
characterized  by  grace,  subtlety  of  balance  and  sinuous- 
ness of  direction — expresses  all  the  refinement  and 
charm  of  the  French  idea.  Often  the  former — heavy 
and  clumsy  in  scale,  ugly  in  proportion,  mechanical  in 
curve,  heavy,  thick-set  and  ordinary — gives  a  pretty 
sure  key  to  a  Queen  Anne-Dutch-English  feeling  done 
in  mahogany. 

It  is  not  intended  to  brand  all  Queen  Anne  furniture 
as  possessing  these  qualities  and  no  others,  but  to 
make  a  general  statement  which  is  true  under  most 
circumstances.  Much  of  the  inordinate  family  worship 
of  old  mahogany  would  be  wiped  out  in  our  time  if  the 
old  pieces  which  have  been  passed  down  to  us  as  prod- 
ucts of  the  Colonial  period  could  be  judged  by  the  same 
standards  by  which  we  judge  other  things,  and  not  by  a 
Standard  in  which  sentimentality  rules  reason  and  inten- 
tion. 

To  this  period  belongs  nol  only  the  credit  of  having 
begun  to  see  furniture  as  related  to  persons  and  things, 
but  to  it  also  belongs  the  credit  of  originating  a  great 
Dumber  of  new  objects  to  meet  the  domestic  needs  of 
the  time  These  new  ideas  found  expression  in  inter- 
esting  and    useful    tables   of   various   sizes,   secretaries 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

and  writing  desks  that  were  comfortable  and  possible; 

chairs,  some  to  rest  in,  some  in  which  to  sit  erect,  others 

apparently  for  show.     In  short,  the  scope  of  furniture 

from  the  functional  standpoint  was  greatly  enlarged, 

particularly  during  the  last  half  of  the  period  under 

consideration. 

Perhaps  in  no  article  was  a  greater  play  of  fancy 
shown  than  in  mirrors.  Mirrors  in  the  Jacobean  period 
were  non-essentials.  Personal  appearance  during  the 
first  half  of  that  period  was  not  a  matter  for  serious 
consideration.  The  period  of  Queen  Anne  seems  to 
have  found  the  same  satisfaction  in  its  grotesque  mirror 
frames  that  it  found  in  many  of  its  grotesque  textile 
motifs.  Sometimes  these  mirrors  were  fairly  plain 
excepting  at  the  top,  where  a  huge  broken  gable  or  a 
jig-sawed  appearance  was  found  quite  ugly  in  its 
effect  and  unimportant  in  its  function.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  admiration  for  these  ill-designed  and  too 
ornate  mirror  frames  has  been  instrumental  in  clouding 
the  vision  as  to  what  a  picture  frame  really  is  for  and 
as  to  which  is  the  important  thing — the  frame  or  the 
picture.  From  both  these  standpoints  the  too  elabo- 
rate working  out  of  the  mirror  was  a  hindrance  to  the 
best  understanding  of  an  art  expression  when  applied 
to  these  forms  or  related  ones. 

As  has  been  intimated,  printed  linens  and  needle- 
work tapestries  were  the  vogue  of  the  day.  Attention 
was  turned  no  doubt  to  the  French  salon  with  its 
poetry,  music  and  social  chat.  The  salon  of  Queen 
Anne  was  a  sewing  bee  of  tapestry  needlework.  An 
extraordinary  amount  of  rather  pleasing  patterns  in 
fairly  well-related  colours  was  developed,  but  a  much 
192 


THE  DUTCH  INFLUENCE 

larger  amount  was  not  only  had  in  colour  and  design, 
hut  impossible  of  use  with  objects  refined  in  themselves. 
This  mania  for  needlework  embroidery  spread  to  the 
States,  and  our  Colonial  handbags,  bookmarks,  etc., 
are  but  the  fruits  of  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne.  And 
the  "  ( i<>d  Bless  ( hir  Bomes"  and  "  What  Is  Nome  Wit  h- 
out  a  Mother"  of  the  Victorian  era  were  the  last  gasp 
of  the  same  idea. 

A  word  might  be  said  in  this  connection  about  the 
room  as  a  background  for  all  these  things.  The  work 
of  Sir  Christopher  Wren  is  too  well  known  in  archi- 
tecture to  need  comment.  His  influence  was  at  its 
height.  Furniture  had  accepted  the  pediment,  the 
broken  gable,  and  other  architectural  elements,  not  only 
as  essentials,  but  as  ornaments  in  cabinel  making  and 
furniture  decoration.  The  Anglo-classic-Renaissance 
oak  panelling  of  the  Elizabethan  period  and  the  flat, 
almost  hungry  looking,  adaptation  of  it  in  the  Jacobean 
period  were  far  too  sombre  and  plain  to  harmonize 
with  the  new  idea. 

Under  William  and  Mary  the  room-  were  done  in 
large  wooden  panels  representing  in  their  form  and 
arrangement  something  of  the  periods  of  contemporary 
French  styles.  Windows,  chimney  pieces,  doors,  etc., 
were  heavily  capped  with  pediments,  broken  gables 
and  Other  motifs  of  the  classic  adaptation.  In  the 
latter  half  of  the  period  even   these  wood   panels  gave 

place  in  some  instances  to  plaster  panelled  in  the  same 
way  and  retaining  the  caps  and  trappings  of  the  Wren 
Renaissance  style. 

In  a  word,  then,  the  background  idea  of  the  room 
had   changed.      It    had   taken   a   long  step   toward   the 

193 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

realization  of  the  background  for  furniture,  although  a 
heaviness  caused  by  an  unpleasant  scale  relation  is 
very  apparent  in  the  interior  architectural  features  where 
the  wall  is  anything  but  flat.  Furniture  was  adapted 
to  man  and  his  uses.  Decoration  was  confused  with 
ornamentation,  and  where  ornament  was  used  it  en- 
riched but  it  rarely  beautified. 

Through  the  introduction  and  treatment  of  mahogany 
it  had  been  made  clear  that  it  was  possible  to  have  furni- 
ture without  carving  or  even  marquetry,  and  a  new 
note  was  struck  in  the  function  and  in  the  decora- 
tive treatment  of  wood  in  cabinetmaking.  Domestic 
ideals  were  triumphing  over  political  authority  and 
religious  ecstasy  in  the  field  of  art  creation. 

Too  much  cannot  be  said  of  the  importance  of  this 
period  in  striking  these  new  notes  in  the  evolution  of 
the  domestic  idea  as  it  has  been  worked  out  in  England 
and  the  United  States.  If  one  can  see  the  Queen  Anne 
period  as  responsible  for  these  steps  ahead,  and  at  the 
same  time  realize  that  in  doing  this  it  lacks  the  aesthetic 
merit,  the  grace  and  charm,  the  almost  supernatural 
beauty  which  the  French  and  Italian  periods  have  ex- 
pressed, then  he  is  able  to  give  to  the  period  of  Queen 
Anne  its  just  due.  He  is  able  to  accept  what  it  has 
done  that  is  good,  and  to  look  to  other  periods  for  those 
essential  qualities  which  were  apparently  overlooked  in 
working  for  the  domestic  ends  which  it  so  splendidly 
accomplished. 


PART  II  CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  PERIOD  OF  INDIVIDUAL  CREATION- 
CHIPPENDALE,  HEPPLEWHITE,  SHERA- 
TON—ADAM AND   OTHER  GEORGIAN  TYPES 


AT  no  place  in  the  development  of  the  English  people 
is  the  democratic  idea  for  which  the  Magna  (harta 
stood  more  clearly  demonstrated  than  in  the  furniture 
and  furnishing  ideas  of  the  period  known  as  the  Geor- 
gian. The  Queen  Anne  style  lasted  through  the  reign 
of  George  I  and  nearly  through  that  of  George  II.  At 
this  time  the  Louis  XV  period  was  at  its  besl  in  France. 
A  more  or  less  close  intimacy  between  France  and 
England  had  brought  many  English  people  of  the  upper 
classes  into  contact  with  the  French  salon.  The  gor- 
geous period  of  Louis  XIV  had  been  admired  and  copied 
in  a  limited  way  by  some  of  the  English  cabinet  makers, 
and  many  of  them  had  studied  at  close  range  both  the 
Louis  XIV  and  Louis  XV  styles. 

The  domestic  tendencies  of  the  court  of  Queen  Anne 
had  established  a  prototype  in  England  of  the  French 
salon.  It  was  the  custom  of  courl  ladies  and  others 
to  meet  together  for  embroidery  and  conversation, 
though  their  topics  were,  perhaps,  less  weighty  or 
witty  than  those  discussed  in  the  French  salon.  The 
democratic  sentimenl  in  religion  and  in  social  practice 
had  so  permeated  the  core  of  English  life  that  an  ex- 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

odus  to  Holland  and  to  the  united  colonies  had  been 
going  on  for  over  a  century. 

Liberty  of  thought  in  this  country  and  in  England 
had  a  wonderful  effect  upon  the  demands,  and  therefore 
upon  the  creations,  in  the  applied  art  field  of  the  Eng- 
lish people.  As  men  began  to  think  for  themselves 
they  began  to  do  for  themselves.  They  were  no  longer 
willing  to  allow  the  royal  will  to  decide  the  shape  of  a 
chair  or  how  many  a  man  should  have  and  how  he 
should  use  them  after  he  owned  them.  Each  man 
conceived,  by  an  apparently  simultaneous  impulse,  the 
idea  that  the  house  was  the  expression  of  the  individual 
who  lived  in  it  and  that  each  person  had  not  only  the 
right  to  a  special  design,  but  was  in  duty  bound  to 
attempt  to  have  something  made  which  expressed  his 
peculiar  idea  of  what  that  object  should  be. 

One  of  the  first  persons  to  sense  this  situation  and 
act  upon  it  was  one  Thomas  Chippendale  by  name, 
whose  influence  between  1750  and  1800  can  scarcely 
be  estimated.  So  important  has  he  become  in  the  study 
of  late  English  furniture  that  many  believe  everything 
that  was  designed  between  these  dates  was  done  by 
Chippendale  or  under  his  direction.  Not  only  is  this 
true,  but  one  frequently  meets  people  who  confuse  the 
Colonial  types  of  the  time  with  the  Chippendale  style, 
and  not  a  few  persist  in  confusing  Hepplewhite,  Shera- 
ton, Mayhew  and  others  with  Chippendale. 

Too  much  cannot  be  said  in  commendation  of  the 
great  pioneer  who  defied  tradition,  took  away  from 
royalty  and  the  court  the  right  to  dictate  styles,  and 
freed  man  to  express  himself  in  any  way  he  saw  fit, 
Yet  to  give  him  all  the  glory,  or  to  ascribe  to  him  all 


PERIOD  OF  INDIVIDUAL  CREATION 

the  nicotics  which  wen-  broughl  out  as  a  resull  of  his 
conception,  is  to  overrate  whal  he  did  and  to  under- 
rate tin-  influence  and  work  of  other  men  as  worthy 
of  consideration  as  he. 

Of  the  early  life  of  this  man  little  is  known.  In 
1754  he  broughl  out  a  hook  called  "The  Gentleman's 
.and  Cabinel  Maker's  Director."  This  hook  has  been 
considered  a  well-spring  for  all  Georgian  styles,  bul  its 
value  lies  in  the  clear  way  in  which  il  shows  the  righl 
of  I  lie  individual  to  dictate  his  own  style. 

Chippendale  studied  and  observed  the  French  style.-,. 
So  taken  was  lie  with  certain  phases  of  I  hex-  styles 
that  one  part  of  his  work  may  he  said  to  he  an  adapta- 
tion of  the  French  to  individual  Deeds.  An  interest- 
ing story  is  told  of  what  he  did.  Conceiving  the  idea 
that  in  place  of  the  French  salon  an  English  lea  shop 
and  furniture  shop  could  lie  combined,  he  established 
such  an  institution  under  his  own  roof.  To  this  -hop 
he  invited  not  only  his  friends,  bul  the  wealthy  people 
of  London, as  his  guests  for  tea.  While  drinking  lea, 
sitting  upon  a  Chippendale  model  and  viewing  other 
examples  of  his  work  in  the  room,  his  guests  proved  an 
easy  prey  to  his  commercial  scheme  for  showing  furni- 
ture as  il  relates  to  the  home.  His  success  was  pro- 
nounced and  people  flocked  to  the  Chippendale  shop 
to  view,  to  purchase  regardless  of  cost,  and  to  order 
new  articles  of  furniture  which  should  be  individual 
and  made  to  express  the  personality  of  the  owner. 

This  indeed  was  ;(  strange  departure  in  cabinet- 
making.  These  French  Chippendale  pieces  will  not 
be  described  here,  hut  they  are  the  forerunners  of  the 
individual  styles  in  England  and  in  the  United  States. 

107 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

Sometimes  Chippendale  fell  under  other  influences  than 
those  of  France.  He  borrowed  from  the  Gothic  and 
attempted  to  create  dining-room  and  drawing-room 
chairs  with  Gothic  motifs,  but  these  were  in  commercial 
early  Georgian  style.  The  result  was  inartistic  and  a 
failure. 

Sir  William  Chambers  had  opened  up  the  wealth 
of  artistic  material  in  China,  and  had  brought  back 
many  examples  of  textiles,  pottery,  carved  wood,  etc., 
from  the  limitless  supply  of  the  Chinese  Empire.  Chip- 
pendale, shrewd  as  usual,  fastened  upon  the  Chinese 
lattice  and  other  Chinese  motifs,  and  used  them  with 
considerable  facility  in  the  expression  of  a  new  Chinese- 
Chippendale  style.  These  are  interesting,  sometimes 
picturesque,  frequently  grotesque,  while  they  present 
no  end  of  chance  for  criticism  as  to  their  proportion  and 
practicability. 

This  is  true  especially  of  the  chairs  which  he  made. 
Mahogany  was  the  wood  of  woods  for  Chippendale. 
His  style,  marking  as  it  does  the  first  of  the  individual 
styles,  developed  certain  ideas  which  were  originated 
during  the  Queen  Anne  period.  He  widened  the  seats 
of  the  chairs,  accommodated  the  back  more  perfectly 
to  the  human  figure  and  standardized  the  height  of  the 
seat  from  the  floor.  He  also  worked  out  more  carefully 
the  function  of  a  sideboard,  a  bookcase,  a  secretary  and 
a  writing  table.  He  sought  by  every  known  means  to 
impress  the  idea  of  individualism  upon  his  clients,  and 
to  furnish  as  many  kinds  and  types  of  useful  things  as 
human  ingenuity  could  devise.  In  all  this  he  was  emi- 
nently successful. 

The  other  element  which  all  good  furniture  must 


PERIOD  OF  INDIVIDUAL  CREATION 

have  was  frequently  either  missing  or  so  slightly  pres- 
en1  that  its  detection  is  impossible.  I  refer  to  the 
quality  of  subtle  refinement  and  aesthetically  significant 
form.  While  some  Chippendale  pieces  present  a  fine 
sense  of  proportion  and  a  marvellous  skill  in  technique, 
the  general  effect  of  the  Chippendale  furniture,  with 
some  exceptions,  i>  heavy,  frequently  clumsy,  lacking  in 
grace,  mixed  in  motif  and  altogether  devoid  of  the 
charm  of  the  later  individual  styles. 

To  Chippendale,  then,  we  accord  the  glory  of  being 
a  pioneer  in  establishing  individual  style  in  furniture 
and  furnishing.  To  him  also  may  he  given  the  praise 
that  rightfully  belongs  to  him  who  is  not  afraid  to 
take  an  idea  from  any  place  or  any  time  and  attempt 
to  carry  it  out  under  modern  conditions.  To  give 
him,  however,  full  credit  for  all  things  Georgian  and 
all  things  Colonial,  or  to  dub  him  a  great  artist  crafts- 
man, is  allowing  him  the  qualities  which  properly  be- 
long to  the  two  men  who  were  associated  with  him  in  his 
later  years. 

The  transition  from  the  style  called  Chippendale  to 
that  of  the  style  known  as  Ileppleuhile,  or  to  give  the 
full  title,  of  Messrs.  A.  Hepplewhite  &  Company,  pre- 
sents one  of  the  mosl  difficult  problems  in  the  Georgian 
styles.  Perhaps  nowhere  in  the  development  of  Eng- 
lish furniture  was  there  a  more  marked  change  than  in 
I  hat  made  by  these  two  men,  who  were  practically 
contemporaneous.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  thai 
Chippendale's  furniture  was  lighter  and  more  graceful, 
of  a  wider  range  and  more  usable  than  the  earlier 
3tyles,  he  was  unable  to  free  himself  from  the  weight 
of   sturdy    heaviness   and    formal    arrangement    which 

109 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

seems  typical  of  the  national  temperament  up  to  this 
time. 

Wealth,  dignity  and  usefulness  had  been  the  vogue 
in  the  days  of  Queen  Anne.  A  heavy  ornamental  dis- 
play of  some  graceful  objects  was  the  result  of  this 
period.  Till  the  last  days  of  Queen  Anne  everything 
light,  flippant,  or  buoyant  was  rigidly  excluded,  and 
these  qualities  appeared  only  rarely  in  the  work  of 
Chippendale. 

The  first  real  exponent  of  delicacy  in  English  styles, 
of  a  subtle  refinement  in  proportion  and  arrangement, 
was  Hepplewhite,  and  to  him  this  should  be  accredited. 
The  home  up  to  this  time  had  a  certain  severity  and 
heaviness  in  its  treatment.  The  furniture  consisted 
only  of  what  was  necessary  to  modern  usage,  but  Hep- 
plewhite early  in  his  career  introduced  a  different  idea 
and  brought  into  English  furniture  and  English  furnish- 
ing an  entirely  new  and  very  important  element. 
Hepplewhite's  favourite  maxim  was  "unite  elegance 
with  utility  and  blend  the  useful  with  the  agreeable." 
This  is  the  key  to  all  that  Hepplewhite  did. 

We  have  seen  that  Chippendale  perpetrated  fearful 
atrocities  and  caricatures  on  the  styles  of  Louis  XIV 
and  XV  and  of  the  Chinese  and  Gothic  periods.  These 
in  no  way  expressed  the  idea  for  which  they  orig- 
inally stood.  With  Hepplewhite  an  entirely  different 
view  obtained.  His  wife  published  his  book  entitled 
"The  Cabinet  Maker's  and  Upholsterer's  Guide,  or 
Repository  of  Designs  for  Every  Article  of  Household 
Furniture  in  the  Newest  and  Most  Approved  Taste." 

From  the  title  of  this  book  may  be  gleaned  something 
of  what  was  the  ideal  of  A.  Hepplewhite  &  Company. 
200 


PERIOD  OF  INDIVIDUAL  CREATION 

With  Chippendale  it  was  utility  and  commercial  ad- 
vantage. With  Hepplewhite  it  was  the  use  to  which 
an  article  musl  lie  put.  united  with  the  aesthetic  quality 
which  is  the  expression  of  perfeet  taste. 

Granting  these  premises,  use  and  beauty,  each 
equally  important,  you  have  the  key  to  the  .ureal  change 
which  Hepplewhite  wroughi  in  the  idea  of  individualiz- 
ing the  house.  His  was  the  artistic  and  refining  influ- 
ence which  is  the  fruitful  result  of  the  union  of  the  two 
necessary  elements  which  make  a  useful  object  of  any 
Considerable  art  value,  namely,  the  union  of  utility  and 
elegance,  or  the  fusion  of  function  and  beauty  into  one 
naturally  expressive  whole. 

To  be  sure,  it  is  quite  impossible  for  a  man  with  such 
aims  to  realize  in  the  fullest  sense  bis  ideal.  Ham- 
pered by  the  work  of  inferiors,  followers  of  ( Ihippendale, 
limited  by  a  smaller  clientele  at  Grsl  among  a  people 
quite  Minded  by  the  new  idea  of  individual  styles,  it 
look  time  and  patience  to  work  out  in  a  positive  way 
hi-  own  theories.  The  fruits  of  his  work  are  seen  in  the 
-really  reduced  scale  of  all  articles  which  he  designed. 
Perhaps  some  one  will  say  these  are  too  small,  they 
look  insecure,  are  not  heavy  enough  for  practical  pur- 
poses. This  may  he  true.  In  many  instances  it  is 
true,  l>ut  they  are  practical  in  expressing  what  they 
intended  to  express  and  arc  successful  in  uniting  utility 
and  beauty  in  the  field  in  which  they  are  usable  at  all. 
Not  ;i|l  Hepplewhite  furniture  is  good  in  all  places,  hut 
uearly  all  Hepplewhite  furniture  expresses  Ike  two  ele- 
ments which  all  furniture  should  express. 

A-  ha-  hern  said,  it    i>  D01    the  aim  of  this  discussion 

to  illustrate  the  distinguishing  characteristics  of  every 

201 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

style  and  period,  but  to  awaken  the  reader  to  a 
sense  of  quality  in  things,  and  then  to  lead  him  to 
investigate  the  things  or  to  read  books  in  which  these 
things  are  explained,  and  to  find  for  himself  the  quali- 
ties for  which  they  stand.  That  is  the  way  to  grow 
in  knowledge  of  what  is  good  and  right,  not  only 
in  furniture,  but  in  any  art  object. 

The  period  of  Hepplewhite,  or  the  work  of  Hepple- 
white  as  I  shall  call  it,  while  contemporary  with  the 
last  days  of  Chippendale,  may  be  called  a  second  step 
in  the  evolution  of  the  individual  style.  Since  he 
was  the  pioneer  in  standardizing  beauty,  refinement  and 
charm,  it  marks  quite  as  important  an  epoch  as  that 
in  which  Chippendale  departed  from  the  monarchic 
idea. 

The  furniture,  the  textiles,  and  other  art  objects 
were  delicate  and  refined  in  scale.  Side  pieces  were  done 
in  plain  wood  not  much  ornamented,  chairs  were  delicate 
in  line  not  greatly  ornamented  excepting  in  the  backs, 
where  Hepplewhite  seems  to  have  let  his  desire  for  free 
play  of  line  run  an  absolute  riot. 

The  third  very  pronounced  influence  on  this  period 
is  shown  in  the  work  of  Sheraton,  who  was  born  in 
1751,  about  the  time  that  Chippendale  published  his 
famous  book.  Born  of  obscure  parents,  in  dire  poverty, 
gentle,  retiring  and  contemplative,  Sheraton  was  in 
direct  contrast  to  the  commercially  social  Chippendale 
and  the  polished  gentleman  Hepplewhite.  Very  early 
he  showed  an  intense  admiration  for  the  most  refined 
classic  things  in  the  period  of  Louis  XVI.  Chippendale, 
as  has  been  said,  took  naturally  to  the  period  of  Louis 
XIV  and  the  heavier,  more  picturesque  style  of  Louis 
202 


PERIOD  OF  INDIVIDUAL  CREATION 

XV.  Hepplewhite  saw,  appreciated  and  developed  the 
delicacies,  subtleties  and  refinements  of  Louis  XV. 

Temperance,  restraint,  simplicity  and  consistency — 
these  were  the  things  Sheraton  saw  in  the  foreign  styles 
and  these  were  the  things  he  desired  to  express  in  his 
own  work.  Somewhat  influenced,  no  doubt,  by  Hep- 
plewhite and  his  work,  Sheraton  set  about  to  eliminate 
something  of  the  overworked  detail  of  the  Hepplewhite 
idea,  and  to  express  in  tlieir  simplest  terms  the  same 
qualities  and  refinement  with  a  more  classic  feeling 
as  the  dominating  idea. 

Particularly  in  pieces  such  as  cabinets,  sideboards, 
dressers,  fables,  etc.,  Sheraton  was  supreme.  Deli- 
cate, refined  and  splendidly  constructed,  they  were 
decorated  in  perfect  structural  harmony  by  a  fine 
and  beautiful  inlay  of  lighter  wood.  These  pieces 
expressed  in  English  terms  the  quiet,  refined  dignity 
that  is  found  so  characteristic  of  the  plainest  and  mosl 
classic  of  the  same  objects  in  the  period  of  Louis  XVI. 
When  these  pieces  or  the  counterparts  of  them  found 
their  way  to  the  United  States  they  did  much  to  modify 
the  belief  already  strongly  entrenched  here,  that  the 
heavier  Queen  Anne  or  the  more  elaborate  ( Ihippendale 
were  the  climaxes  of  beauty  in  furniture  forms. 

The  chairs  of  Sheraton  appear  to  have  been  less 
in  harmony  with  his  idea  than  his  other  articles  of 
furniture.  Perhaps  this  is  because  chair  backs  seem 
to  have  been  the  playground  for  both  Sheraton  and 
Hepplewhite.  Consistent  to  a  degree  in  some  things, 
they  apparently  considered  the  backs  of  chairs  safe 
places  in  which  to  experiment  with  apparently  impos- 
sible motifs  worked  out   in  incongruous  ways.     There 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

are,  however,  some  rectangular  backs  with  simple  feel- 
ing, beautiful  in  proportion  and  charming  in  spirit, 
as  are  also  the  side  pieces  to  which  they  naturally 
belong. 

The  most  casual  study  of  these  things  will  show  that 
in  all  Sheraton  did  there  was  everything  to  praise  and 
little  to  criticise  unfavourably.  Toward  the  end  of  his 
career,  when  a  broken  old  man,  worn  out  in  mind  and 
body,  he  published  some  designs  which  show  that  his 
original  idea  had  become  well-nigh  lost  in  the  trend  of 
the  times.  They  were  caricatures  of  the  Empire  in 
France.  Though  very  little  made  up  as  designs,  they 
have  misled  many  into  believing  Sheraton  stood  for 
ideas  which  really  were  strictly  opposed  to  all  that 
the  man  worked  for  during  the  best  part  of  his  life. 

Sheraton  believed  and  proved  that  designing  house- 
hold furnishing  was  an  art,  one  which  every  one  could 
not  with  success  take  up  as  a  means  of  livelihood.  He 
understood  that  a  gift  for  proportion  as  well  as  special 
training  was  essential,  and  he  stood  firmly  for  good 
taste  and  sound  workmanship.  But  even  these  did  not 
satisfy  him.  He  determined  to  master  the  art  of 
drawing  and  the  principles  of  design  and  colour;  in 
short,  to  become  acquainted  with  the  laws  which  gov- 
erned the  expression  of  his  ideas  in  material  form.  This 
he  held  to  be  essential.  In  this,  then,  Sheraton  added 
some  new  things  to  the  already  clearly  defined  tend- 
encies of  the  Georgian  times. 

The  discussion  of  individual  styles  may  not  be  closed 
without  a  word  in  regard  to  the  Adam  brothers.  The 
older  of  the  two,  Robert  Adam,  was  born  in  1728,  and 
in  1768  he  was  appointed  architect  to  the  king.  He 
204 


PERIOD  OF   INDIVIDIAI.  (  UKATloV 

died  in  170-2.  These  dates  arc  given  that  one  may 
clearly  associate  the  Adam  brothers  with  the  period 
when  Chippendale,   Hepplewhite  and  Sheraton  were 

all  al  work  in  the  cabinetmakers'  field. 

In  truth  the  Adam  brothers  were  not  cabinetmakers, 
hut  architects,  exterior  and  interior.  To  us  their 
chief  value  lies  in  what  they  did  for  interior  walls, 
ceilings,  floors  and  chimney  pieces,  which  brought  hack 
the  interior  of  the  room  to  the  background  idea.  In 
this  the  Adam  brothers  performed  a  lasting  service  in 
the  development  of  the  modern  house.  Influenced 
greatly  by  the  classic  forms, particularly  by  IheGreeco- 
Roman  at  Pompeii,  they  evolved  a  light  and  dainty 
classic  style,  a  delicate  rendition  sometimes  verging 
on  the  cold,  sometimes  even  on  the  pretty,  and  withal, 
a  new  note  in  a  development  of  the  Georgian  interior. 

As  far  as  their  influence  was  felt  on  furniture  and 
decorative  objects  it  was  not  for  improvement.  One 
can  dismiss  for  the  present  this  phase  from  the  category 
of  Georgian  furniture  stylo.  Let  us  not  fail,  however, 
to  appreciate  the  advantage  of  the  softer  and  [ess  orna- 
mented wall  surface,  the  simpler  and  more  structurally 
panelled  arrangement,  the  delicate  and  refined  treat- 
ment  of  doorways,  windows  and  chimney  pieces,  lest 
we  overlook  one  of  the  very  potent  factors  in  the  move- 
ment which  has  such  a  radical  hearing  upon  our  modern 
problem. 


205 


PART  n  CHAPTER  XIV 

THE     COLONIAL    STYLE 

THIS  style  takes  its  name  from  the  original  Colonies 
as  settled  in  North  America  during  the  seventeenth 
century  and  is  the  natural  offspring  of  the  parent 
stems — the  European  countries  of  Britain,  the  Nether- 
lands and  France. 

In  the  early  sixteen  hundreds,  about  the  time  of 
the  death  of  Elizabeth,  religious,  political  and  social 
conditions  in  England  had  reached  the  state  of  fomenta- 
tion which  resulted  in  the  exodus  of  large  numbers  of 
Separatists  to  the  Netherlands,  where  a  larger  freedom 
and  a  more  democratic  tendency  was  the  accepted 
order  of  the  time. 

These  Separatists,  colonizing  the  western  cities  of 
the  Netherland  country,  became  somewhat  mixed 
with  the  Dutch,  at  least  they  accepted  Dutch  forms  as 
a  partial  expression  of  their  life  while  in  their  adopted 
land.  This  was  particularly  true  in  the  domestic  field. 
Most  of  the  Separatists  were  among  the  middle  and 
upper  classes,  and  they  found  economic  necessity  and 
religious  teaching  both  naturally  trending  toward  a 
simple,  conservative  and  rather  barren  expression  of 
the  home  ideal. 

By  1625,  when  the  Jacobean  period  in  England  was 
well  under  way,  Massachusetts,  Connecticut  and  Rhode 
206 


THE  COLONIAL  STYLE 

Island  were  colonized  mostly  by  Puritans  who  had 
left  Holland  and  found  a  home  in  the  new  land.  Vir- 
ginia, Georgia  and  the  Carolinas  were  colonized  mainly 
by  people  directly  from  Great  Britain  without  the 
influence  of  the  adopted  Dutch  traditions.  New  York, 
or  New  Amsterdam,  received  its  settlers  from  Holland 
direct.  Pennsylvania,  Maryland  and  Delaware  were 
somewhat  mixed  with  certain  settlements  of  English, 
while  others  were  of  the  Dutch  middle  classes.  These 
settlements  were,  some  of  them,  a  little  later  than  those 
of  New  England  and  the  South. 

These  three  rather  distinct  types  of  colonization 
received,  off  and  on,  considerable  modifications  from 
French  influence.  It  is  well  to  consider  each  of  these 
as  quite  distinct  from  the  others  to  appreciate  the  mean- 
ing of  the  term  "Colonial." 

The  people  of  New  England  as  we  know  them 
Puritan  in  origin,  conscientious,  financially  poor,  sturdy, 
determined,  conservative  and  hardy — developed  a 
Colonial  type  quite  in  keeping  with  their  general  char- 
acteristics. These  eharacterist  ics  were  crysl allized  and 
modified  by  the  climatic  conditions,  while  their  art 
expressions  were  modified  to  suit  the  materials  which 
were  natural  to  the  locality  and  by  the  ideals  which 
had  brought  them  to  the  new  land. 

Their  product  was  a  house  not  too  pretentious 
in  size,  severely  plain,  generally  all  brick  or  wood,  with 
the  architectural  and  decorative  modifications  which 
their  limited  means  and  the  rigour  of  the  climate  nat- 
urally dictated.  The  Anglo-classic  mania  of  England 
was  in  their  blood,  though  they  could  hardly  expect  to 
build  their  modest  houses  with  solid  marble  columns, 

207 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

pilasters  and  cornices,  or  to  erect  their  classic  ideals  in 
scale  to  correspond  with  the  Jones  and  Wren  ideas 
of  Great  Britain. 

They  did,  however,  admire  the  forms  and  seemed 
naturally  to  evolve  sometimes  a  stone,  more  often  a 
wooden  pillar  and  capital,  which,  when  combined  with 
the  brick  or  the  wooden  house,  gave  an  altogether  charm- 
ing, though  restrained,  effect,  known  as  the  Northern 
Colonial  type.  To  those  interested  in  studying  the 
peculiar  charm  of  this  type  of  classic  manifestation  the 
towns  of  Salem,  Plymouth  and  Deerfield,  Massachu- 
setts, and  those  of  Litchfield,  Gilford  and  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  present  still  some  of  the  most  delightful 
examples  of  the  best  development  of  the  Colonial  type. 

Not  alone  in  the  domestic  field  was  this  Colonial 
style  manifest.  There  was  crystallized  a  religious 
manifestation  known  as  the  "New  England  meeting 
house,"  which  by  its  nature  expressed  the  whole  story 
of  the  Separatists'  idea.  Gothic  expression  was  an 
undisputed  expression  of  the  mediaeval  Roman  church. 
The  Anglican  church  modified  it  to  express  as  nearly 
as  possible  the  Anglican  idea,  but  the  Separatist  could 
not  see  his  new  religious  ideal  manifest  in  terms  of  either 
the  Roman  or  Anglican  architecture;  nor  could  he 
think  of  representing  this  new  faith,  particularly  in 
the  interior,  in  any  forms  or  combinations  which  tend 
to  create  a  sensuous  delight  through  the  aesthetic 
combination  of  its  significant  forms  and  colours.  To 
those  who  have  seen  the  New  England  meeting  house 
this  suggestion  will  create  a  sufficient  mental  picture 
to  give  the  desired  criteria  for  judging  the  Northern 
Colonial  its  religious  aspect. 


THE  COLONIAL  STYLE 

The  interior  of  the  house  at  first  expressed  architec- 
turally the  influence  of  Wren,  the  Adam  brothers  and 
their  followers,  in  a  restrained  and  sometimes  primitive 
way  withflat,  bare  walls,  white  ceilings  and  wooden  floors 
in  strips.  Among  the  more  affluent,  classic  motifs  are 
found  in  the  cornices,  and  the  wood  trim  betrays  a  decided 
Anglo-classic  influence.  Some  of  these  doors,  windows 
and  chimney  pieces  are  beautiful  in  proportion,  chaste 
and  simple  in  effect,  and  altogether  charming.  Among 
the  poorer  people  the  classic  elements  were  almost 
unknown.  Walls  were,  like  the  ceilings,  hare  and  white 
or  sometimes  coloured  with  a  tinted  whitewash.  A 
little  later  they  were  covered  with  wall  papers  as 
these  became  the  vogue  in  England  and.  gradually, 

the  floors  received  the  traditional  rag  carpel,  either 
braided  or  woven,  as  the  fashion  of  the  day  dic- 
tated. 

The  first  furniture  was,  of  course,  a  direct  importa- 
tion from  England  and  it  was  of  the  Jacobean  type- 
mainly  Queen  Anne  and  Chippendale,  with  Queen  Anne 
in  the  ascendancy.  By  1700  the  Colonies  were  suffi- 
ciently developed  to  receive  a  good  deal  of  furniture, 
and  aewcomers  broughl  with  them  the  Queen  Anne 
idea.  By  the  early  seventeen  hundreds  these  pieces 
of  furniture  were  copied  in  Hartford.  Connecticut, 
Boston  and  Massachusetts,  an  American  made  Queen 
Anne  style  resulting. 

As  soon  as  the  Chippendale  furniture  was  produced  in 
England,  importations  to  the  Colonies  began,  and  very 
soon  thecal  line!  makers  of  the  New  England  Stales  repro- 
duced <  !hippendale  models.  Gradually  from  this  repro- 
duction  was  evolved  throughout   the  North  a  simpler 

'JO!) 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

and  less  ornate  style  in  chairs,  tables,  beds  and  side 
pieces.     These  were  known  as  New  England  Colonial. 

The  chairs  are  particularly  interesting  since  they 
represent  so  many  types  of  the  late  modified  Georgian 
in  England.  These  had  seats  made  of  rush,  braided 
husks  and  sometimes  cane,  while  they  were  not  in- 
frequently upholstered  in  some  foreign  material.  These 
straight-backed  Puritanic  forms  made  in  birch,  beech, 
maple  and  other  Colonial  woods,  small  in  scale,  re- 
strained in  style  and  without  ornament,  constituted 
what  is  known  as  the  New  England  style.  Mahogany, 
of  course,  played  a  large  part  in  this  development  and 
found  its  way  into  the  structure  of  the  interior  in  the 
form  of  solid  doors,  wainscoting  and  balustrades  as 
well  as  furniture. 

Colonial  furniture  having  become  the  vogue,  it  was 
found  essential  to  repeat  its  motif  in  doors,  balustrades 
and  the  like,  in  order  to  tie  it  successfully  to  the  room 
of  which  it  was  a  part.  This  particular  point  should 
be  of  interest  to  every  person  who  is  using  the  Colonial 
idea  or  who  is  enamoured  of  the  mahogany  medium. 
Some  consistent  repetition  of  the  idea  is  essential  to 
produce  the  desired  design  effect  and  also  to  give  it, 
in  the  least,  the  classic  quality  of  consistency  in  its 
distribution. 

We  have  dwelt  at  length  upon  the  Northern  Colonial 
because  in  the  largest  sense  this  expression  of  Colonial 
has  influenced  the  others,  and  in  later  times  is  the 
phase  most  generally  admired,  copied  and  adapted. 
In  considering  this  let  us  remember  that  the  Colonial 
is  but  the  child  of  a  European  mother,  that  it  is  by 
no  means  a  new  idea,  but  is  the  younger  generation's 


THE  COLONIAL  STYLE 

version  of  the  older  generation's  expression  of  their 
religious,  political  and  social  life.  Naturally,  it  dif- 
fers from  the  original,  but  in  essentials  it  is  the  same, 
its  differences  being  just  those  thai  any  adaptation  to 
other  circumstances  than  its  own  should  show.  A 
copy  cannot  express  anything  excepl  those  ideas  for 
which  the  original  stands.  New  modes  of  living  and 
new  ways  of  doing  things  must  result  in  new  forms  of 
production  in  the  materials  used. 

The  Southern  Colonial  is  perhaps  the  next  in  im- 
portance considered  with  reference  to  our  modern 
times.  As  has  been  stated,  the  Southern  colonies 
were  settled  by  the  English.  In  most  cases  they  were 
people  of  some  financial  standing  and  were  many  of 
them  communicants  of  the  established  Anglican  church. 
Maryland  was  an  exception,  inasmuch  as  it  was  founded 
by  people  representing  the  Roman  faith,  who  were 
also  drawn  from  the  better  English  classes.  Larger 
financial  resources,  a  less  Puritanic  religious  viewpoints 
a  broader  social  horizon  and  a  warmer  climate,  each  in 
il>  way  produced  an  influence  distinctly  felt  in  the. 
evolution  of  the  Soul  hern  house.  The  Southern  gentle- 
man's property  was  in  a  large  estate.  This  necessi- 
tated a  larger,  a  somewhat  more  pretentious  and  a 
less  conservative  house. 

The  Colonial  mansion,  with  its  roomy  proportions, 
its  splendid  verandas  with  classic  columns,  its  finely 
v.  rough!  cornices  and  other  classic  details,  gives  the 
mosl  impressive  example  of  the  different  ideals  held 
by  tin-  two  sections  of  the  same  country.  The  furnish- 
ings did  not  differ  radically  from  those  of  the  North. 
The  mahogany  type  of  Queen  Anne  and  Chippendale 

211 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

became  the  standard  furniture  of  the  South,  with  an 
occasional  introduction  of  Hepplewhite  and  Sheraton, 
original  pieces  from  England  or  the  very  best  copies 
procurable  in  the  united  colonies.  Larger  resources 
made  it  possible  to  import  these  things  from  the  mother 
country. 

Occasionally  in  the  North  the  Dutch  influence  was 
felt.  This  was  almost  entirely  lacking  in  the  South, 
and  the  Anglo-classic  architecture  with  the  Queen 
Anne  and  early  Chippendale  became  its  paramount 
expression.  New  York,  or  New  Amsterdam,  was  the 
natural  expression  of  the  Dutch-Netherland  idea.  This 
decided  Dutch  feeling,  the  same  that  William  and 
Mary  brought  to  England  in  1688,  is  the  foundation 
fact  in  the  so-called  Middle  Colonial  type.  The 
architecture  of  this  section  was  strictly  Dutch,  the 
classic  idea  having  scarcely  modified  it  at  all.  The 
Flemish  scroll,  the  Dutch  gable,  the  Dutch  proportion 
and  detail  dominate  not  only  the  exterior,  but  the  interior 
architecture.     Furniture,  too,  was  structurally  Dutch. 

These  three  expressions  of  the  Colonial  are  sufficient 
to  give  the  feeling  for  the  Colonial  types.  They  should 
enable  one  to  perceive  clearly  two  quite  individual 
phases  of  the  classic  idea  and  to  contrast  these 
two  with  a  somewhat  non-classic  evolution  which 
characterized  the  Dutch  constructive  manner.  Penn- 
sylvania, New  Jersey  and  Delaware  represent  the 
mixed  Dutch  and  English  influences  in  a  remarkably 
interesting  way.  Philadelphia  alone  presents  suf- 
ficient examples  of  both  types  for  the  intensive  study 
of  what  the  combination  effected  in  combining  two 
original  ideas. 
212 


THE  COLONIAL  STYLE 

Those  manifestations,  gradually  evolving,  received 
a  remarkable  jolt  in  the  later  days  of  Louis  XVI.  After 
the  recognition  of  the  independence  of  the  Colonies, 
there  arose  diplomatic  situations  between  them  and 
France  which  caused  the  exchange  of  ambassadors. 
Lafayette  came  to  the  States,  and  Benjamin  Franklin 
was  sent  to  the  French  court.  Picture,  if  you  can, 
Benjamin  Franklin  in  his  New  England  clothes  and 
top  boots  at  the  court  of  "Marie  Antoinette.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  is  quite  as  impossible  to  imagine  the 
refined  and  gallant  Lafayette  as  entirely  at  home  in  the 
united  colonic-,  although  undoubtedly  Washington  and 
the  diplomatic  set  around  him  were  more  nearly  con- 
gruous than  was  Franklin  at  the  French  court. 

The  ladies  of  the  American  capital  took  most  gra- 
ciously to  Lafayette  and  his  manners.  The  Louis 
XVI  style  through  his  influence  was  espoused  and 
became  the  fad  of  the  time.  Washington's  house  at 
Mount  Vernon,  Virginia,  in  its  interior  finish  and  its 
furnishings,  is  so  strongly  affected  by  the  Louis  XVI 
style  that  people  frequently  call  it  a  Louis  XVI  in- 
terior. This  vogue  spread  throughout  the  South  and 
greatly  influenced  the  interior  decoration  of  the  next 
half  century.  At  the  accession  of  Victoria,  however, 
this  impetus  was  exhausted  and  a  new  idea  prevailed. 

While  the  expression  of  the  Louis  XVI  style  was 
more  marked  in  the  South,  it  was  also  noticeable  in 
New  England,  particularly  in  the  northeastern  part. 
A  few  years  before  the  fall  of  the  French  kingdom 
Marie  Antoinette  planned  to  flee  and  make  her  home 
in  the  United  States.  A  shipload  of  house  furnishings 
was  sent  to  Maine,  and  this,  which  was  never  used  by 

213 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

her  but  which  was  distributed  later,  was  the  leaven 
which  leavened  the  whole  eastern  Colonial  to  a  less 
severe  and  more  graceful  expression  of  the  later  Colonial 
type.  The  drawing-room  in  New  England  was  an  un- 
heard-of luxury.  The  parlour,  with  its  closed  blinds 
and  drawn  curtains,  for  use  on  holidays  only,  had  taken 
its  place.  The  advent  of  the  Louis  XVI  idea  brought 
with  it  the  conception  of  the  use  of  this  luxurious  room, 
and  the  Louis  XVI  expression  seemed  fitting  for 
the  most  treasured  of  all  the  rooms  in  the  house. 
A  little  later  Hepplewhite,  Sheraton  and  Louis  XVI 
controlled  the  parlours  of  the  upper-class  New  England 
house. 

It  may  be  well,  before  leaving  the  strictly  Colonial 
type,  to  mention  the  clocks,  pictures,  woodwork, 
china,  etc.,  which  were  accessory  to  this  style.  The 
grandfather's  clock,  for  example,  beloved  for  its 
sentiment,  is  a  product  of  Chippendale's  fertile  inven- 
tion. This  immediately  found  place  in  the  Colonial. 
Under  some  conditions  it  certainly  has  a  charm  and 
expresses  the  spirit  of  the  Colonial  time.  On  the  other 
hand,  in  modern  times,  it  is  often  used  in  such  a  way 
that  it  becomes  the  most  important  thing  in  a  room  in 
scale,  in  colour  value  and  in  material,  thus  giving  to 
an  unimportant  thing  the  room  emphasis. 

The  Colonial  glass,  the  more  ornate  of  the  mirrors, 
and  the  other  Queen  Anne  and  Chippendale  ornamental 
pieces,  should  be  considered  with  great  care  in  the 
modern  house.  Clocks  were  practically  a  new  idea  in 
England  at  this  time,  and  since  they  were  new,  the 
cabinetmaker  did  not  hesitate  to  give  them  an  un- 
seemly  prominence.      Mirrors  in  the  days  of   Queen 


THE  COLONIAL  STYLE 

Anne  were  a  new  luxury  to  middle-class  people,  and 
to  possess  one  was  to  have  reached  a  degree  of 
affluence  quite  desirable  in  those  days.  Presumably 
human  nature  was  the  same  then  as  now.  Having 
arrived  at  the  place  where  a  clock  and  mirror  or  two 
were  possible,  why  not  have  this  clock  and  the  mirrors 
as  important  as  possible  that  all  might  realize  the  social 
prominence  which  the  owner  had  just  attained? 

Without  thinking  how  new  pieces  happened  to  ap- 
pear, there  is  no  possibility  of  understanding  their 
relative  importance  in  the  house.  To  be  sure,  there  is 
the  right  of  every  man  to  choose  a  thing  simply  because 
he  likes  it.  or  because  he  regards  it  as  beautiful,  but 
if  his  aim  is  a  room  which  shall  be  a  perfect  unit  and 
which  shall  not  only  express  good  taste  and  whal  he 
personally  like-,  but  also  shall  express  completely  the 
unit  idea,  then  he  must  lake  into  consideration  the 
relative  value  of  each  piece  he  places  in  the  room. 

Colonial  woodwork  is  an  element  which  deserves 
some  consideration.  The  Ilcpplewhite  and  Adam 
tendencies  had  been  to  colour  and  also  to  use  the  nat- 
ural wood.  Enamel  was  rampant  in  France  in  the  days 
of  Louis  XV  and  XVI.  The  Colonial  ideas,  excepting 
the  very  earliest,  were  obtained  from  these  sources. 
When  the  Colonial  house  was  conceived,  its  exterior 
architectural  decorative  features  appeared  in  white. 
Consistency  alone  demanded  the  while  woodwork  in 
the  inferior.  The  instinctive  feeling  for  a  chaste 
cleanliness,  which  was  next  to  godliness  in  New  Kng- 
l.nid,  may  have  been  another  reason  for  the  painted 
white  woodwork. 

Al  any  rate,  the  very  lerm  Colonial  suggests  painted 

-J  I.", 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

white  woodwork  with  mahogany  doors  and  balustrades. 
This  strong  contrast  of  mahogany  and  white  woodwork 
would  be  quite  impossible  if  it  were  not  for  the  purpose 
of  tying  the  furniture  to  the  wall  or  relating  it  to  the 
background.  The  impossibility  of  this  dark,  heavy  ma- 
hogany furniture  against  a  white  or  very  light  back- 
ground must  be  apparent  to  any  one. 

This  was  the  Colonial  way  of  harmonizing  in  some 
degree  these  two  inconsistencies.  A  quite  effective 
one  it  was,  too,  in  many  instances.  This  strong 
value  contrast  is  not  of  the  most  refined  nature  and,  if 
interpreted  in  just  that  way,  sometimes  seems  crude 
and  somewhat  harsh.  "When  white  woodwork  is  used 
let  it  be  toned  to  very  deep  old  ivory.  This  is  suf- 
ficiently yellow  and  is  also  sufficiently  neutralized  to 
key  it  to  other  elements  in  the  room.  Let  the  ceiling 
be  done  in  exactly  the  same  tone  as  the  woodwork — 
not  too  light,  never  bright,  but  a  deep,  rich  old  ivory — 
and  the  Colonial  idea  is  not  disturbed  while  the  keying 
of  the  colour  relates  the  woodwork  to  the  wall  and  room 
furnishings.  This  type  of  woodwork  is  not  only  good 
in  a  Colonial  room,  but  it  is  often  the  best  way  to  treat 
any  room  where  the  woodwork  by  its  colour,  its  tex- 
ture, or  its  finish  is  garish,  crude  and  unpleasant. 
Sometimes  in  modern  houses  soft  grays  for  wall,  wood- 
work and  ceiling  are  most  effective. 

Out  of  this  Colonial  period  and  out  of  the  Victorian, 
which  may  be  roughly  said  to  begin  with  1827,  grew 
what  is  known  as  our  black  walnut  period.  This  and 
the  period  immediately  following  in  the  United  States 
are  analogous  to  those  periods  in  one's  life  that  he 
hesitates  to  discuss  with  anybody  outside  the  immediate 
216 


THE  COLONIAL  STYLE 
family.  It  is  perhaps  only  necessary  to  remind  our- 
selves that  we  passed  through  such  an  experience 
which  we  now  look  back  upon  as  excusable  from  only 
one  standpoint,  our  youth. 

The  Colonial  period,  as  we  have  seen,  was  the  youth's 
expression  of  the  way  his  father  started  him  in  life. 
Some  time  the  youth  must  think  for  himself,  he  must 
do  for  himself,  and  the  first  results  are  not  always  all 
that  one  could  desire.  This  is  what  the  black  walnut 
period  really  was.  It  was  the  young  child's  first  ex- 
pression of  his  own  ideas  in  his  own  way. 

The  Colonial  force  had  spent  itself.  The  awakening 
nation  had  other  and  new  ideals.  Its  own  resources, 
it>  own  activities,  dominated  expression,  and  black 
walnut,  reseml>lini,r  somewhat  the  Victorian  medium, 
was  seized  upon  as  the  first  wood  available  for  such  use. 
The  financial  resources  of  the  country  w'ere  increasing, 
we  must,  therefore,  have  an  appearance  of  wealth. 
Since  marble  is  expensive  why  not  top  our  tables, 
bureaus,  dressers  and  the  like  with  this  beautiful  native 
stone?  Surely  the  ancient  Romans  made  their  columns 
of  marble  and  granite  combined;  the  Louis  XV  period 
has  its  consoles  structurally  in  gilt  and  its  tops  in  marble. 
What  matters  it  if  the  value  difference  between  black 
walnut  and  white  marble  is  somewhat  strong,  or  if  the 
proportions  of  one  material  to  the  other,  or  to  the  parts 
of  the  objeet  in  question,  are  totally  unrelated?  Then, 
too,  there  are  the  wonderful  architectural  effects  of 
Sir  Christopher  Wren  in  England  and  in  America. 
Why  not  add  some  of  these  structural  features  to  the 
already  too  ponderous  bed?  Ami  then,  if  classic  and 
non-classic  mouldings  will  give  it  greater  weight  and 

217 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

a  more  decided  appearance  of  luxury,  why  not  put 
them  on  so  long  as  they  will  stay  on?  Fatally  the 
callow  youth  has  expressed  his  first  ideas  of  his  new 
furniture  in  a  most  voluminous  way. 

We  need  not  go  into  detail  as  to  how  the  Oriental 
rug  was  used  in  this  period,  and  also  the  rag  carpet  and 
the  ingrain  when  they  made  their  appearance.  The 
Oriental  was  at  least  rare  and  expensive  and  the  ingrain 
was  quite  new,  while  the  rag  carpets  were  but  the  left- 
overs of  a  less  completely  evolved  people. 

What  is  true  of  carpets  and  rugs  is  equally  apparent 
in  all  other  things  found  in  the  period  which  we  call 
black  walnut.  Many  of  us  can  recall  the  crowded  sit- 
ting-rooms, the  newly  done,  over  done  parlours,  and  the 
ungainly  and  heavily  furnished  bedrooms,  with  a  feeling 
of  despair  and  pity.  Nevertheless,  bad  as  it  was,  im- 
possible as  it  is,  it  was  a  natural  step  in  the  evolution 
of  the  modern  idea.  It  was  at  least  original.  Orig- 
inality is  one  of  the  qualities  which  we  must  all  rec- 
ognize as  commendable  and  in  line  with  progress.  At 
the  same  time,  to  make  originality  the  only  criterion, 
or  the  main  criterion,  is  to  focus  our  attention  on  too 
unimportant  an  idea.  Original  things  which  are  bad 
may  be  steps  toward  better  ones,  but  they  are  not 
ends;  they  are  means  to  an  end,  which  end  is,  of  course, 
an  expression  of  ideas  fitting  and  beautiful  in  them- 
selves. To  unqualifiedly  condemn  the  black  walnut 
movement  is  to  refuse  to  realize  the  law  of  progress, 
but  to  fail  to  see  its  inconsistencies  and  its  place  as 
a  means  to  an  end,  is  to  cloud  the  vision  for  all  future 
creations  which  are  original  and  better. 

Because  of  the  insatiable  desire  for  self-expression 
218 


THE  COLONIAL  STYLE 

which  is  n  psychological  quality,  the  American  people 
were  not  satisfied  with  the  black  walnut  era.  They 
soon  outgrew  it,  and  instinctively  turned  to  Europe 
for  ideas  with  which  to  modify  it.  They  still  had 
with  them  the  Queen  Anne  mirrors  with  their  erratic, 
curved-line  edges.  Some  of  the  furniture  had  equally 
impossible  and  distracting  curved  lines.  The  jig-saw, 
too,  had  made  its  appearance,  and  the  straight  line  as 
a  beauty  factor  was  lost  to  sight. 

Some  one  has  said:  "Anybody  can  appreciate  a 
curved  line,  bul  it  takes  an  artist  to  see  beauty  in  a 
straight  one."  This  may  be  true.  But  if  it  does  not 
take  an  artist  to  see  the  difference  between  a  beautiful 
curved  line  and  one  which  is  ugly,  then  there  is  no  dif- 
ference between  curved  lines  and  they  are  all  beautiful. 

Puritan  severity,  classic  simplicity  and  consistency, 
qualities  having  their  origin  in  the  Greek  ideal,  had 
dominated  a  -rent  part  of  the  Colonial,  but  were  com- 
pletely lost  in  the  period  which  extended  from  about 
1840  to  1890.  From  1875  on  there  were  two  conflicting 
influences  one  the  classic  and  the  other  the  individ- 
ualistic original,  which  we  have  just  described. 

The  atrocities  committed  in  187.5  and  L890  were 
nol  in  furniture  alone,  but  were,  perhaps,  even  more 
noticeable  in  veranda  brackets,  which,  by  the  way, 
supported  nothing;  in  grills  over  doors  where  plain  wall 
space  should  have  been;  league  upon  league  of  curved 
applique  woodwork  around  mantels,  and  brass,  gilt 
and  iron  chandeliers,  where  I  he  writhing  motions  of  a 
den  of  snakes  would  suggesl  perfed  repose  by  com- 
parison, and  many  other  manifestations  of  this  same 
idea.     This,  by  the  way,  is  the  mo  I  difficull  error  to 

219 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

cope  with  in  the  field  of  art  expression  in  the  modern 
house. 

Many  American  designers  still  believed  these  things 
to  be  good.  Landlords  and  builders  used  them  as 
baits  to  tempt  their  clients  to  a  purchase.  In  fact,  some 
remain  who,  either  through  force  of  habit  or  because 
they  have  not  given  the  matter  thought,  fail  to  see  the 
contortions,  the  unrelated  motions  and  the  ugly  pro- 
portions created  through  the  use  of  the  meaningless 
curve. 

From  1890  on  there  has  been  a  strong  reaction  against 
this  ugliest  of  all  original  periods.  Contact  with  Euro- 
pean countries  through  increased  facilities  for  travel, 
the  expenditure  of  vast  sums  of  money  by  the  wealthier 
classes  in  the  importation  of  European  art  objects, 
the  clearly  defined  and  sane  attitude  of  the  best 
architects  together  with  the  increased  desire  and  facil- 
ity for  education,  wrought  the  great  change.  People 
began  to  see  that  original  things  were  not  always 
good.  They  also  found  by  travel  that  their  money 
could  buy  almost  anything  in  any  period. 

Those  who  could  afford  to  do  so  first  espoused  the 
French  idea  for  interiors.  A  few  of  the  best  and  most 
expensive  decorators  in  the  country  essayed  to  do  a 
Louis  XV,  Louis  XVI  or  Empire  room,  and  assured 
the  client  that  it  was  an  exact  reproduction  as  to  walls 
and  ceiling  with  original  pieces  for  furnishing.  In  a 
few  cases  these  rooms  turned  out  to  be  good,  and  in 
not  a  few  totally  bad,  because  of  a  lack  of  harmony  not 
only  between  the  furniture  and  the  walls  but  in  the 
relations  of  the  room  with  its  furnishings  and  in  its 
spirit  to  modern  times. 
220 


THE  COLONIAL  .STYLE 

It  also  happened  thai    an   actual   reproduction   of 

an  article  of  furniture  or  <>f  a  ceiling  as  it  was  in  France 
created  a  scale  relation,  colour  combination  or  maze  of 
motifs  quite  impossible  under  conditions  here.  For 
ten  or  fifteen  years,  however,  the  French  manner  was 
ardently  courted  and  by  sonic  charmingly  used.  Few 
there  were,  however,  who  dared  on.il  a  single  motif 
from  the  ceiling  at  Versailles  lor  fear  the  client  should 
discover  that  it  was  not  an  exact  reproduction.  There 
were  few  er  st  ill  who  would  have  modified  a  period  room 
i::  I  he  slightest  particular  even  by  changing  an  article 
of  furniture.      Tl  was  slavish  copy. 

This  domination  of  the  French  idea  lasted  for  some 
time,  hut  during  the  following  ten  years  gradually 
changed,  and  the  English  manner  became  the  rage. 

For  ordinary  purposes  and  general  use  no  styles  are 
>,,  well  filled  for  general  service  as  this.  This  i-  be- 
cause the  English  periods  are  I  he  expression  of  a  do- 
me-lie idea,  democratic  in  thought  and  meaning,  and 
also  because  it  is  less  expensive  to  reproduce  the  English 
periods  in  general  than  those  of  the  better  French 
style-.  Still  another  reason,  which  is  more  important 
i  han  either,  is  the  fact  that  the  French  styles  cannot  be 
reproduced  by  any  one  save  a  craftsman  with  a  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  technique  of  his  art.  The  French 
periods  depend  for  their  beauty  upon  their  refined 
and  exquisite  charm.  Unless  these  are  elements  in 
his  consciousness,  a  craftsman  cannot  produce  the 
results.  The  English  periods  arc  simpler,  more  intel- 
lectually conceived  and  more  practically  evolved. 
Ft  takes  as  much  intellect  to  reproduce  the  English 
periods  with  some  degree  of  accuracy,  but  Par  less  of  the 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

aesthetic  sense  is  required  than  would  be  essential  to 
the  same  degree  of  accuracy  in  the  French  styles. 

At  present  we  are  entering  a  new  era  in  this  country. 
Neither  the  French  styles  nor  the  English  express 
exactly  what  the  most  refined  and  educated  person  in 
any  walk  of  life  desires  to  express  in  his  living-room, 
bedroom,  dining-room  or  library.  A  strong  tendency 
is  apparent  to  return  to  the  first  principles  of  the  Italian 
Renaissance.  In  them  are  found  certain  structural  and 
decorative  facts  which  are  fundamentals  in  all  periods 
which  have  followed. 

The  thoughtful  student  must  analyze  this  Italian 
Renaissance,  and  he  will  find  that  the  Classic,  the 
Christian,  and  the  Humanistic  influences  must  be  sepa- 
rately considered  in  order  to  form  any  estimate  of  its 
meaning.  Having  done  this,  it  is  not  strange  that  our 
best  decorators  now  are  standing  firmly  on  this  first  step 
in  the  evolution  of  the  New  Renaissance.  The  coming 
period  in  American  art  will  be  one  in  which  the  intel- 
lect and  the  feelings  of  a  cultivated  people  with  limitless 
resources  will  both  assert  themselves  in  the  expression 
of  the  modern  house. 

No  period  will  be  copied  in  its  entirety.  No  period 
will  be  omitted  because  unfit  for  the  expression  of  an 
idea.  Every  period  will  be  studied  and  studied  with 
one  thing  in  view,  and  that  is  to  know  the  ideas  for 
which  the  period  stands,  to  see  the  qualities  in  applied 
art  which  stand  for  those  ideas,  and  to  use  those  ideas 
and  qualities  to  express  the  individual  idea  in  the 
home.  This  will  be  the  Second  Renaissance,  the  era 
which  is  opening  before  us. 


PART    III 


PART  III  CHAPTER  XV 

THE     MODERN     HOUSE 

THE  problem  of  the  modern  house  involves  something 
more  than  merely  providing  a  pretty,  healthful,  physi- 
cally comfortable  place  to  satisfy  man's  demand  for 
shelter  and  rest.  It  is  the  criterion  of  a  man's  taste, 
the  visible  response  to  his  instinctive  call  for  beauty. 
It  furnishes  the  environment  in  which  are  born  and 
nurtured  the  early  impressions  of  those  who  are  to  set 
the  ta-le  standards  in  the  generations  thai  follow. 

This  consideration  dignifies  interior  decoration  by 
placing  it  among  the  serious  professions.  No  longer 
a  mere  matter  of  collecting  and  housing  like  a  depart- 
ment -tore  or  a  museum,  or  of  providing  a  place  in 
which  to  sleep  and  cat.  it  is  destined  to  become,  a- 
man  realizes  more  fully  the  power  of  environment,  one 
of  the  strongest  and  most  scientific  of  the  educational 
factors  in  our  generation.  The  time  will  come  when 
its  power  in  the  evolution  of  race  consciousness  will  be 

appreciated  at    it-  true  worth. 

Though  realizing  fully  the  importance  of  sanitation 
and  the  difficulties  arising  from  financial  limitation, 
it  is  not  our  purpose  to  deal  with  these  questions.  It 
i-  rather  <>ur  desire  to  emphasize  here  only  the  func- 
tional and  artistic  phases  of  this  ureal  problem.  More 
books  have  been  written  and  more  has  l.eei'  said  on  the 

225 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

subjects  of  hygiene  and  economics  than  any  of  us  can 
apply,  but  the  principles  that  govern  the  choice  and 
arrangement  of  materials,  colours,  forms  and  lines  as 
they  relate  to  common  usage  or  as  they  appeal  to  the 
artistic  sense,  have  been  practically  overlooked. 

To  stimulate  the  reader  to  think  before  buying,  to 
have  a  sensible  reason  for  his  purchase,  to  know  the 
power  of  colour  and  form,  and  to  see  how  men  of  other 
nations  in  the  past  have  expressed  their  personal  and 
racial  ideas,  is  our  aim. 

The  aesthetic  sense  is  instinctive  and  expresses  in 
man  his  desire  or  appetite  for  beauty.  What  a  man 
selects  in  response  to  this  demand  of  his  nature  and 
how  he  arranges  what  he  has  selected,  determines  his 
taste.  A  man's  taste  improves  as  the  aesthetic  sense 
becomes  refined  or  sensitized  to  the  point  of  responding 
to  the  more  subtle  combinations  of  forms  and  colours. 
This  matter  of  taste  is  not  a  fixed  quality.  One  may 
have  the  gift  or  natural  tendency  to  refined  choice,  but 
no  man  has  by  divine  right  a  monopoly  of  good  taste. 
Our  standards  are  constantly  changing  during  life  as 
affected  by  study  and  by  environment. 

Every  time  a  colour  is  seen,  a  sound  heard,  or  an 
odour  perceived,  a  new  sensation  is  recorded  in  con- 
sciousness, or  one  previously  recorded  is  made  more 
permanent  by  repetition.  This  is  true  of  all  sensations 
received  through  the  senses.  These  numberless  sensa- 
tion records  accumulated  since  birth  represent  the 
part  environment  has  played  in  the  evolution  of  our 
consciousness.  In  other  words,  it  is  what  one  really 
is,  for  out  of  consciousness  comes  one's  acts,  and  his 
thoughts  and  acts  affect  his  personality  and  his  use  of 
226 


< 

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tif 

m^Q 

^^^r    ■■■ 

SUITABLE    BEDROOM    FOR     I W '  >    BOYS,     ADMITTING     llll.     ADDITION     O] 
-I  '  II      PERSONAL     OBJECTS      tS      Mil.     ESSENTIAL      TO     THE     COMFOR1 

\\U  [MMED1  Ml.   PLEAS!   1:1.  0]     1  111.  OCC1   I'W  I  ~. 


5      ? 
~  i,  3 


tiii:  MODERN  HOUSE 

all  material  objects.  Seeing  this  psychological  truth 
clearly  is  the  foundation  for  recognizing  the  importance 
of  the  interior  of  the  house.  This,  briefly,  then,  is  the 
status  of  environment  as  a  factor  in  character  building 
and  as  a  power  in  the  evolution  of  a  national  civiliza- 
tion. It  is  even  more  lasting  in  its  results  than  hygiene 
for  the  body  or  money  for  selfish  purposes.  It  is  this 
that  determines  the  standpoint  of  taste  and  may  be- 
come the  stepping-stone  to  a  higher  plane  of  living 
both  for  the  individual  and  the  nation. 

What,  then,  can  be  more  important  than  the  house, 
especially  its  interior?  Is  it  not  here  that  the  child 
first  sees  colours,  hears  sounds,  touches  textures?  Is 
this  not  the  place  where  first  impressions  are  received? 
These  impressions  should  be  of  the  quality  one  would 
have  the  young  mind  make  permanent  as  standards 
for  future  judgment.  They  will  represent  what  the 
owner  of  the  house  regards  as  good  taste  in  the  grati- 
fication of  his  desires.  As  the  aesthetic  sense  quickens, 
the  taste  for  greater  subtlety  grows,  and  a  changed 
environment  is  the  result. 

The  artistic  home  should  not  be  regarded  as  a  luxury. 
Its  possession  should  be  regarded  as  a  duty  to  the 
cause  of  civilization  as  well  as  a  response  to  the  normal 
desires  inspired  by  the  aesthetic  sense.  It  is  essential 
to  the  general  taste  standard  of  the  future  and  to  the 
full  appreciation  and  enjoyment  of  beauty. 

The  obstacles  thai  stand  in  the  way  of  a  realization 
of  this  ideal  environment  are  numerous.  There  are 
so  many  questions  arising  in  each  individual  problem, 
so  many  apparently  insurmountable  difficulties,  and, 
worst  of  all.  there  are  so  many  people  who  are  willing 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

to  give  up  anything  that  does  not  come  with  perfect 
ease.  It  may  be  well  to  look  into  some  of  these  com- 
plications. 

In  any  discussion  of  a  personal  problem,  outside 
of  a  limited  number  of  wealthy  people,  the  first  difficulty 
raised  is:  "I  cannot  afford  to  buy  good  things.  If  I 
had  the  money  I  should  certainly  do  so."  Then:  "I 
have  bad  things  and  why  should  I  be  so  particular 
when  I  must  put  the  new  with  the  acknowledged  bad 
which  I  already  have?*' 

To  the  first  of  these  objections  it  may  be  answered 
that  all  expensive  things  are  not  good ;  nor  are  all  cheap 
ones  bad.  Of  course  we  must  allow  that  there  is  a 
greater  field  for  beautiful  things  where  unlimited  means 
are  at  the  command  of  the  designer,  but  we  must  also 
remember  that  unless  the  designer  thoroughly  under- 
stands what  is  good  and  what  is  not,  the  field  for  his 
caprice  and  ignorance  is  increased  in  proportion  to  the 
amount  of  money  he  has  to  spend.  Often  the  money 
limit  is  the  saving  thing  in  the  selection  of  articles  as  to 
their  kind  or  their  number.  The  question  of  selection 
is  one  of  colour,  form,  line  and  texture  and  of  the  prin- 
ciples that  produce  harmony.  It  is  not  a  question  of 
the  kind  of  wood,  how  much  it  cost,  and  how  much  it 
is  carved,  nor  is  it  a  question  of  how  brilliant  the  bronze 
is,  nor  how  gorgeous  the  velvet.  When  one  looks  at  any 
object  from  the  standpoint  of  the  principles  of  harmony, 
which  should  control  its  structure  and  its  decoration, 
he  has  the  answer  to  the  objection  "I  have  no  money," 
for  money  is  not  the  standard  of  judgment. 

As  to  the  second  objection  given,  it  may  be  said  that 
it  is  never  too  late  to  begin  to  do  right.     The  first  ray 


TIIE  MODERN  HOUSE 

of  light  as  to  what  is  good  in  furniture  or  fittings  should 
be  followed.  Have  definitely  in  mind  what  your  ideal 
of  the  room  would  be  if  you  could  have  every  thing 
new  and  have  it  at  once.  A  mental  picture  of  a  result 
is  essential  before  the  first  step  in  the  solution  of  a 
problem  in  interior  decoration  can  be  successfully 
taken.  Buy  each  article  with  the  finished  whole  in 
mind,  and  as  fast  as  a  bad  thing  can  he  eliminated 
procure  another  in  its  place  that  harmonizes  with  this 
mental  picture.  The  house  will  turn  out  better  than 
one  expects,  and  the  best  of  it  all  is  that  the  individual 
grows  with  it. 

If  the  available  money  is  limited  start  with  the  back- 
on, mid  «,f  (lie  room.  If  $25,  $50,  or  $100  be  used,  let 
that  lie  expended  to  make  the  woodwork,  the  walls, 
the  ceiling  and  the  floor  a  suitable  background.  The 
quality  of  rest  will  find  its  way  into  the  room  and  right 
relationships  of  colour  he  easy  to  establish  the  moment 
the  backgrounds  are  satisfactory. 

If  more  changes  can  be  made  let  them  he  in  the  hang- 
ings and  rugs  for.  next  to  the  background,  these  are 
the  most  important  things  in  any  room. 

Saving  disposed  of  background,  rugs  and  hai 
furniture  and  decorative  material  can  be  dealt  with  very 
easily,  very  simply  and  quite  gradually  with  a  continued 
feeling  of  satisfaction  that  the  room  i-  growing  heller 
every  day.  The  mistake  made  by  most  people,  in- 
cluding many  decorators,  is  in  trying  to  make  things 
appear  moderately  satisfactory  against  impossible  back- 
grounds. 

Do  not  buy  sideboards  until  the  wall  paper  and 
floor  are  suitable.      Never  mind  what  your  furniture  is 

220 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

until  you  have  something  to  put  it  against.  Do  not 
be  distressed  about  vases,  fancy  clocks  and  other  un- 
necessary and  distracting  objects  until  your  furniture 
is  right  and  the  more  important  decorative  ideas  are 
well  looked  after.  In  other  words,  build  from  the  bot- 
tom up.  The  background  is  the  foundation  upon  which 
all  things  must  rest. 

Another  objection  has  been  made,  something  like 
this:  "There  are  the  old  inherited  pieces  of  furniture" 
(usually  mahogany)  "which  have  belonged  to  the  family 
for  generations.  These,  of  course,  are  not  good,  but 
how  can  I  part  with  them  since  they  are  family  heir- 
looms?" If  one  is  not  handicapped  by  these  things  he 
usually  is  by  wedding  presents,  holiday  gifts  or  sense- 
less purchases  made  without  thought  or  because  they 
were  believed  at  the  time  to  be  bargains. 

Heirlooms,  gifts  and  foolish  purchases  are  either  a 
matter  of  sentimentality  or  of  supposed  economy. 

Aunt  Jane  may  have  been  a  good  woman.  She  may, 
however,  have  had  some  misconceptions  as  what  con- 
stitutes the  most  artistic  combination  of  colour,  line 
and  form  in  a  chair  or  table.  In  this  state  of  Aunt 
Jane's  consciousness  she  probably  bought  the  table 
which  you  now  have.  Now  that  she  is  probably  in  a 
state  of  consciousness  in  which  she  realizes  how  bad 
the  table  is,  neither  you  nor  I  can  be  expected  to  ac- 
cept this  table  as  our  idea  of  what  a  table  should  be. 
The  fact  that  one  disposes  of  Aunt  Jane's  table  in  the 
wood  pile  or  the  attic  in  no  way  interferes  with  one's 
respect  and  love  for  Aunt  Jane. 

Until  it  is  possible  to  disassociate  tables,  chairs  and 
other   objects   from   human   beings,   and   particularly 


THE  MODERN  HOUSE 

from  human  beings  in  other  states  of  existence,  it  will 
not  be  possible  to  deal  successfully  with  family  heir- 
looms in  modern  houses.  Let  us  judge  the  table,  the 
chair,  the  chesl  or  I lif  bed,  on  its  merits  as  an  abstract 
idea,  disassociated  from  whoever  had  it,  and  be  big 
enough  and  broad  enough  to  take  a  stand  against  any- 
thing that  is  not  good  and  right,  be  its  associations 
ever  so  closely  connected  with  family  or  friends. 
This  is  the  only  possible  way  in  which  one  can  be 
in  a  frame  of  mind  to  consider  the  disposition  of  such 
articles  as  he  knows  to  be  unfit  for  further  use.  It 
may  be  well  to  remember  that  there  is  a  difference 
between  that  noble  and  highly  spiritual  quality  called 
sentiment  and  the  weak,  sickly  counterfeit  of  it  which 
we  call  sentimentality. 

What  to  do  with  these  things,  provided  one  is  will- 
ing to  part  with  them,  is  willing  to  risk  family  criticism, 
the  friendly  questions  that  arise  when  the  occasional 
visitor  finds  his  gift  missing  from  the  top  of  the  piano, 
is  a  serious  question.  The  habit  of  giving  furniture 
that  is  unfit  for  use  to  the  poor  is  deadly,  if  one  con- 
siders at  all  the  establishment  of  a  taste  standard. 
Why  should  the  poor  have  things  in  worse  taste  than 
anybody  who  is  not  poor?  A  man  has  a  right  to  good 
things,  and  the  practice  of  giving  half-worn  bad  things 
in  clothing  and  in  furnishings  to  somebody  who  is 
supposed  to  be  grateful  for  anything  on  earth  is  per- 
haps responsible  more  than  any  other  one  thing  for  the 
present  way  of  regarding  the  interior  of  the  house. 

Better  for  a  man  to  have  a  pine  table,  chair,  bench 
and  bed,  decently  stained,  with  respectable  lines  and 
well  placed  in  his  room,  than   ;i  Queen  Anne  table,  a 

2S1 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

marble-top  black  walnut  dresser,  a  Morris  chair  and  a 
Mission  bed,  any  one  of  which  may  or  may  not  be  an 
atrocity  beyond  words.  There  is  always  the  wood 
pile,  the  unspeakable  attic,  and  as  a  last  resort,  if  the 
house  is  large  enough,  a  special  room  set  apart  for  idols. 

Again  we  constantly  meet  the  objection,  particularly 
in  rented  houses,  that  the  landlords  refuse  to  do  any- 
thing. If  there  is  no  landlord  to  refuse  and  the  man 
owns  his  house,  then  it  is,  that  he  cannot  afford  it  or 
does  not  like  to  destroy  or  mar  anything  that  has  been 
so  for  a  length  of  time. 

Let  us  first  deal  with  the  landlord.  In  many  houses 
or  apartments  built  twenty-five  years  or  even  fifty 
years  ago  are  found  grills  over  doors,  plate  rails 
anywhere,  abnormal  growths  on  and  around  the  chim- 
ney piece  and  set  mirrors.  There  are  also  atrocious 
stair  balustrades,  garish  tiles  around  the  chimney  piece, 
wedding-cake  decorations  about  the  ceiling  and  im- 
possible varnished  or  grained  wood  surfaces  in  the  trim. 
These  things  have  made  such  places  not  only  unin- 
habitable but  dungeons  of  misery  to  all  persons  of 
feeling  or  intelligence. 

It  is  sometimes  hard  to  get  the  landlord  to  tear  these 
things  out.  There  can  be  no  background  until  every 
one  of  these  things  has  been  changed.  The  grills,  the 
abnormal  growths,  the  wedding-cake  decorations  and 
the  balustrades  must  come  out,  while  the  trim  must  be 
redone.  Almost  always  this  can  be,  at  least,  painted  old 
ivory  or  gray,  which,  though  a  last  resort,  is  under  most 
circumstances  the  thing  to  do.  The  tiles  can  also  be 
painted  and  should  be  the  colour  of  the  trim,  for  they, 
too,  are  an  essential  element  of  the  background  idea 


-•  -  £  - 

■^    -    X    Z 

—.    Z    V    ~ 


-  l  =  : 


THE  MODERN  HOUSE 

which  is  the  fundamental  one  in  the  whole  conception. 
The  elimination  of  these  stumbling-blocks  is  quite  as 
accessary  to  carrying  out  any  scheme  of  furnishing 
as  the  purchase  of  any  Dumber  of  new  things  or  the 
arrangement  of  these  tilings  after  one  has  acquired 
them. 

The  assertion  is  often  made  that  it  is  impossible  to 
find  good  things  in  the  trade.  Frequently  one  hears  a 
remark  such  as:  "There  are  no  wall  papers  except 
flowered  ones  to  he  bought  in  OUT  town."  "There  an- 
no one  or  two  tone  rugs  nor  other  types  whose  ornament 
figures  do  not  stand  out  and  offend  the  sensitive  eye." 
"Cretonnes,  printed  linens  and  other  textiles  are  much 
too  bright  and  too  floral  in  their  pattern  and  good. 
dignified,  unobtrusive  patterns  cannot  be  bought." 
Furniture,  too,  comes  in  for  its  share  of  criticism  along 
exactly  the  same  line. 

In  answer  to  this  let  me  say  that  demand  always 
has  and  always  will  govern  the  supply;  that  the  supply 
will  be  furnished  when  there  is  a  demand,  and  that  the 
trade  has  in  stock  exactly  what  people  want.  When 
people  demand  better  things,  manufacturers  will  make 
them  and  tradesmen  will  sell  them.  It  is  the  public 
taste  that   i>  at  fault  and  not  the  trade. 

After  twelve  years  of  intimate  acquaintance  with 
every  branch  of  allied  interior  decorating  trades  in  the 
largesl  city  in  America.  I  am  convinced  that  one  thing 
is  true:  thai  there  is  no  one  class  of  persons  in  this 
country  more  anxious  to  learn,  more  ready  to  re-pond 
or  more  loyal  in  their  efforts  for  heller  things  than  the 
trade.      This  Statement    applies   to  whole, ale  and  retail 

men,  to  those  managing  the  textile  shops,  wall-paper 

>33 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

shops  and  furniture  shops.  It  is  a  very  general  and 
clearly  defined  feeling.  When  the  consumer  raises  his 
standard  of  what  is  good  the  producer  will  raise  his, 
and  the  middleman  will  respond  naturally  and  quickly. 

The  greatest  hindrance  to  our  realization  of  what  is 
best  in  house  planning  is  found  within  ourselves.  Do 
you  not  frequently  hear  people  say:  "I  like  it.  I  do 
not  care  whether  it  is  right  or  not;  it  pleases  me,  so  what 
difference  does  it  make?  It  was  good  enough  for  my 
day  and  I  guess  it  is  good  enough  for  yours."  Or,  "I 
love  nature  and  therefore  want  it  as  much  as  possible 
about  me  in  the  house."  These  personal  whims  are 
responsible  for  more  than  is  at  first  apparent.  Is  it 
not  well  to  ask  ourselves :  why  do  I  like  it,  or  why  am  I 
pleased?  Is  it  because  it  conforms  to  the  laws  of 
beauty  and  arrangement,  or  is  it  because  I  do  not  know 
whether  it  is  good  or  not?  Does  it  please  me  because  it 
does  not  please  somebody  else,  or  because  I  have  a  reason 
for  being  pleased?  Some  who  in  their  day  made  long 
journeys  on  horseback  instead  of  a  steam  train,  or 
went  to  bed  with  a  candle  instead  of  an  electric  light, 
may  have  changed  their  attitude  of  mind  in  respect  to 
these  conditions  while  they  have  not  changed  them 
quite  so  radically  in  other  matters  equally  important. 
To  deal  with  nature  as  nature  and  to  deal  with  a  def- 
amation of  nature  as  interior  decoration  are  two  radi- 
cally different  matters. 

Let  not  the  nature  lover  believe  that  anybody  is 
likely  to  translate  nature  into  carpets,  wall  papers, 
brass  ornaments  and  plaster  of  paris,  and  do  so  success- 
fully. Let  him  go  on  loving  nature  in  nature's  place. 
It  is  meet  and  right  so  to  do.  At  the  same  time  let 
234 


THE  MODERN  HOUSE 

him  wake  up,  and  wake  up  now,  to  the  fact  that  what- 
ever of  nature  is  translated  into  material  must  be  con- 
ventionalized so  as  to  be  consistent  in  that  material,  or 
it  loses  all  its  art  value  and  becomes  a  cheap  attempt 
to  imitate  something  which  it  is  impossible  to  imitate. 

There  is  a  difficulty,  too,  with  persons  who  are  en- 
tirely wedded  to  some  one  historic  period  and  believe 
that  no  other  is  worthy  of  expression,  or  that  no  other 
national  one  is  fit  to  use  for  any  kind  of  individual 
expression.  Some  people  are  essentially  French  in  their 
manner  and  form  of  expressing  themselves.  Others 
are  English.  Some  are  so  individual  as  to  be  Louis 
XV  or  Jacobean,  and  a  few,  I  regret  to  say,  are  still 
Queen  Anne.  But  people  are  indeed  rare  that  are 
adequately  expressed  by  any  one  period  idea,  and  the 
growing  tendency  is  to  ignore  the  exactly  reproduced 
period  and  to  accept,  adapt  and  use  objects  from  related 
periods  to  express  a  mixed  national  life. 

The  chapters  on  historic  periods  have  been  given 
principally  to  show  the  qualities  for  which  they  stand 
and  our  need  to  assimilate  these  qualities,  whatever 
their  period  name  is.  This  does  not  mean  that  a 
person  should  not  be  individual  in  his  colour  choice, 
and  personal  in  his  likes  and  dislikes,  as  well  as  quite 
natural  in  his  selection  of  forms  and  decorative  effects. 
It  means  that  the  more  he  knows  what  others  have 
done,  the  more  he  will  know  what  not  to  do,  as  well  as 
what  to  do,  and  it  also  means  that  the  less  he  limits 
himself  to  one  colour  scheme,  one  furniture  style,  one 
decorative  idea,  the  broader  becomes  his  concept,  the 
wider  his  experience  and  the  more  versatile  and  refined 
hia  expression. 

235 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

It  is  true,  we  have  emerged  from  the  Victorian  Era 
and  its  black  walnut,  marble-top  offspring.  But  many 
of  the  objects  which  we,  as  Americans,  associate  with 
the  Victorian  period  are  still  with  us,  or  cheaper  rep- 
resentations of  them  are,  even  though  we  have  said 
fond  farewells  to  the  marble-top  chamber  suit  and  the 
plush  parlour  chairs. 

It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  see  in  rooms  other- 
wise quite  possible  an  accumulation  of  small  articles  sup- 
posed to  be  decorative  or  useful,  ranging  all  the  way 
from  dried  grass  and  cat-tails  to  knit  tidies  and  piano 
covers.  These  aggregations  include  unnecessary  and  un- 
decorative  vases,  statuettes,  hand-painted  objects  and 
other  sentimental  belongings. 

Since  this  field  of  unnecessary  personal  objects 
is  unlimited,  since  the  affection  and  regard  in  which 
these  objects  are  sometimes  held  is  so  sacred,  and  since 
people  positively  intelligent  in  most  things  refuse  to 
show  a  sign  of  common  sense  where  these  are  concerned, 
the  only  thing  we  can  do  is  to  arouse  those  who  are 
responsible  for  such  things  to  a  thoughtful  considera- 
tion of  their  qualities.  No  two  persons  being  alike, 
no  two  methods  will  apply  to  any  one  person.  Each 
person  must,  however,  look  about  and  see  what  things 
he  has  that  are  useless,  inexpressive  of  anything  except 
himself,  and  capable  only  of  collecting  and  harbouring 
dust.  When  he  has  decided  this  let  him  eliminate 
what  he  will  and  start  anew.  Thus  a  decorative  scheme 
may  have  its  birth. 

Out  of  repeated  right  experience  comes  knowledge. 
Knowledge  is  power,  and  power  to  use  external  material 
things  to  express  ideas  is  the  end  and  aim  of  material 
236 


THE  MODERN  HOUSE 

life.  To  choose  an  article  without  a  knowledge  and 
feeling  for  its  fitness  and  beauty  is  unwise.  To  choose 
it  without  considering  it  in  its  relation  to  its  back- 
ground and  to  each  of  the  other  objects  with  which  it 
will  l»e  used  in  a  room  is  worse.  The  failure  to  test 
one's  arrangement  by  the  principles  of  form  is  often 
the  cause  of  a  failure  to  make  the  most  of  whatever  one 
has.  Knowledge  ,Lrrows  as  one  demonstrates  what  he 
has  already  learned.  Nothing  is  thoroughly  under- 
stood until  it  can  he  consciously  demonstrated. 

It  has  been  the  purpose  of  this  chapter  to  call  the 
reader's  attention  to  the  wonderful  opportunity  that 
the  interior  decorator  and  the  house  maker  has  to 
create  an  environment  which  will  he  the  means  of  a 
higher  state  of  aesthetic  appreciation  in  the  generation 
thai  i>  to  follow.  It  has  also  been  our  aim  to  point  out 
the  stumbling-blocks  to  a  full  realization  of  an  esthetic 
ideal  in  furnishing  and  to  incite  a  determination  to 
make  a  beginning  in  the  direction  of  overcoming  I  lies,, 
obstacles.  It  is  further  designed  to  arouse  a  desire 
to  investigate  the  fundamental  principles  which  govern 
form  and  decoration,  and  to  use  these  principles  daily 
in  our  selections  and  in  our  arrangements  until,  uncon- 
sciously, what  we  touch  shall  express  a  new  state  of 
personal  consciousness  in  which  good  taste  is  not  a 
thought-out  act  but  an  unconscious,  irresistible  im- 
pulse in  all  we  do. 


837 


PART  in  CHAPTER  XVI 

THE    INDIVIDUAL    HOUSE 

IT  is  preposterous  to  think  that  there  can  be  a  class  of 
set  formulae  given  by  which  any  and  every  room  may 
be  properly  planned.  One  meets,  however,  those  who 
want  such  formulae  and  those  who  are  quite  willing  to 
give  them.  This  creates  a  situation  quite  like  that  in 
which  a  patent  medicine  is  put  on  the  market  with  the 
assurance  that  it  will  cure  every  human  ill,  when,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  it  is  probably  inadequately  adapted  to 
even  one  badly  disordered  state. 

The  house  is  an  individual  thing.  Each  room  in  it  is 
individual,  for  the  varied  functions  of  the  rooms  and 
the  personal  differences  of  those  who  may  use  them  all 
influence  each  particular  element  in  the  unit. 

To  say  that  a  dining-room  should  be  in  this  or  that 
colour  scheme,  with  this  or  that  style  of  furniture,  is 
not  only  absurd  but  entirely  misleading  as  to  what 
interior  furnishing  means.  What  is  true  of  the  dining- 
room  is  no  less  true  of  the  living-room,  the  sleeping- 
room,  the  library,  or  other  rooms  in  which  the  personal 
element  is  concerned. 

What  one  can  do,  however,  is  to  stick  fast  to  the 
principles  which  govern  all  forms  of  expression,  and 
then  use  his  intelligence,  and  that  of  his  advisory  decora- 
tor, to  make  the  elements  that  go  to  make  up  the  room 


n 


SIMPLE     DEI  OHATIV1      I  HOK   E    AND    Al 

I  XPRESSING    THE   ')'    VI  ITIES   "|     |  I  MININE    Ill  I 

rASTE,    IN    A    Ml  I  »M.       \  EH1     INDIA 


THE  INDIVIDUAL  HOUSE 

an  expression  of  the  personality  of  the  one  for  whom  the 
room  is  planned.  When  principle  takes  the  place  of 
fad  or  formula  and  impersonal  qualities  are  seen  as  a 
media  of  expression,  personality  will  find  no  difficulty 
in  manifesting  itself  in  any  room  under  any  conditions. 

Each  house  is  the  natural  expression  of  an  individual's 
idea  of  functional  fitness,  beauty  in  environment  and 
good  taste.  Function  or  fitness  is  the  fundamental 
idea  of  the  room.  There  is  a  tendency  frequently  to 
let  other  elements  creep  in  which  in  themselves  are 
not  bad,  but  which  destroy  the  functional  idea  for 
which  the  object  stands. 

For  example,  sentimental  souvenirs,  or  decorative 
objects,  are  allowed  to  occupy  space  in  the  room  that 
one  can  ill  afford  to  give  to  such  trash.  These  objects 
also  are  frequently  placed  upon  tables,  pianos,  cabinets, 
dressers  and  the  like  in  such  a  way  that  the  real  function 
of  the  object  on  which  they  are  placed  is  completely 
obscured.  Mirrors  cannot  be  used,  drawers  opened 
or  shut,  pianos  closed  or  opened,  tables  used  for  any 
practical  purpose,  without  moving  these  senseless 
things. 

How  often  lamps  or  other  lighting  features  are  so 
placed  that  it  is  impossible  to  read  or  sew  by  them.  In 
the  same  way  hangings  and  curtains  arc  so  placed  that 
windows  no  longer  admit  light  or  serve  to  protect  from 
outside  observers;  chairs  bear  no  relation  to  tables  so 
far  as  reading,  writing  or  other  work  is  concerned.  In 
short,  the  acquisition  or  the  placing  of  objects  functional 
or  beautiful  in  such  a  way  that  they  do  not  fully  express 
t  heir  use  idea  is  in  had  taste.  To  destroy  the  functional 
feature  of  an  object  by  the  addition  of  a  less  important 

289 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

one  or  by  a  bad  placing  of  that  one  is  neither  sensible, 
economical  nor  artistic. 

The  first  essential  in  the  individual  room  is  the  judg- 
ment necessary  to  ascertain  that  every  object  in  it 
is  so  placed  that  it  does  its  own  work  in  the  most  ef- 
ficient manner.  Until  each  object  is  so  placed  the 
room  is  not  right,  however  individual  it  may  seem.  It 
must  be  clear  that  no  formula  can  be  given  for  this. 
A  writer  or  author  requires  a  table,  perhaps  a  desk, 
chairs  and  other  material  in  quite  different  relations  to 
each  other  and  to  lighting  than  the  person  who  uses  the 
same  type  of  room  for  visiting  purposes  or  as  a  reading- 
room  or  library. 

The  dining-room  in  the  moderate  house  is  sometimes 
used  for  other  purposes.  In  this  case  function  demands 
quite  a  different  arrangement  of  the  table,  chairs,  light, 
sideboard  and  other  articles. 

It  is  well  to  raise  the  question  as  to  whether  every 
article  in  the  individual  room  you  have  in  mind  meets 
as  nearly  as  possible  the  criterion  you  have  of  functional 
fitness.  If  it  does,  it  matters  not  whether  you  are  a 
musician,  an  artist,  an  author,  a  seamstress,  a  lawyer 
or  a  doctor — the  room  is  in  harmony  with  your  life 
work,  which  is  yourself,  and  will  become  personal  when 
you  know  how  to  express  yourself  in  terms  of  colour, 
form,  line  and  texture. 

Beauty  is  the  quality  of  harmonious  relationships. 
A  formula  to  produce  it  does  not  exist.  But  principles 
of  harmony  in  colour,  line,  form,  texture  and  arrange- 
ment do  exist  and  no  two  people  can  interpret  them 
alike.  Nor  will  they  do  so  if  these  principles  become 
unconscious  working  elements  of  the  mind.  Accept, 
240 


THE  INDIVIDUAL  HOUSE 

then,  the  fact  that  beauty  is  harmony.     Learn  next 

what  things  arc  harmonious.  Use,  in  the  third  place, 
such  elements  as  express  your  idea,  personal  and  in- 
dividual, of  the  function  included  in  your  room  idea. 
As  far  as  you  can,  demonstrate  these  principles;  beauty 
will  result. 

It  matters  not  in  what  field  one  works,  conscious, 
constant  right  choice  and  right  usage  is  good  taste. 
Just  as  one  improves  in  manners  by  habitual  practice, 
though  a  tendency  to  these  may  be  inborn  or  not,  just 
SO  one  improves  his  taste  in  colour  by  habitual  choice 
and  use  of  the  best  within  his  knowledge. 

Let  us  not  be  satisfied,  then,  with  any  expression 
that  happens  to  come  along  which  rests  the  body,  gratifies 
sentimentality  or  seems  cheap.  Be  willing  to  go  with- 
out rather  than  have  a  bad  thing  and  one  will  grow  in 
good  taste. 

Many  who  would  not  talk  too  loudly  in  public  or 
parade  their  own  personal  grievances  in  conversation 
do  not  hesitate  to  do  so  in  a  living-room  or  dining-room. 
Further  analogies  might  be  given,  but  this  is  sufficient 
for  any  one  to  see  that  rooms,  except  very  personal 
ones,  like  bedrooms  or  boudoirs,  are  not  the  places  in 
which  to  exploit  one's  idiosyncrasies.  Impersonal  treat- 
ment of  impersonal  objects  will  seem  personal  enough 
to  the  varied  kinds  and  types  of  people  who  must  come 
and  go  in  the  ordinary  room. 

In  every  problem,  however,  there  are  certain  things 

we  shall  call  them  premises — that  may  well  form 
part  of  the  foundation  plan  for  decorating  any  room. 
No  one  of  these  is  more  important  than  geography. 
Any  room  in  Florida  presents  a  differenl  problem  from 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

the  same  room  in  the  Adirondack  Mountains.  The 
town  house  with  its  imperfect  light,  coming,  perhaps, 
from  two  directions,  perhaps  one,  is  quite  another  prob- 
lem from  the  country  house  with  its  open  fields  and 
adequate  light  from  all  sides.  The  problem  of  the 
house  on  the  hill  and  the  one  in  the  valley  presents  two 
different  aspects  in  the  matter  of  colour  and  form. 
Trees  close  to  the  house,  dense  shrubbery  and  other 
objects  change  the  plan  from  the  very  outset. 

In  the  hot,  sunny  South  there  is  the  problem  of 
getting  air  and  excluding  the  burning  sun.  In  the 
extreme  North  there  is  the  air  to  come  in  but  cold  to 
be  kept  out  while  the  sun  is  admitted.  This  has  a 
decided  influence  on  the  placement,  size  and  number  of 
windows,  and  the  location  and  arrangement  of  doors, 
halls  and  the  like,  and  also  upon  the  shutters,  hangings 
and  window  accessories. 

The  side  of  the  house  on  which  the  room  is  located 
is  also  of  importance.  The  south  and  southeast,  with 
their  almost  continuous  sun,  call  for  a  choice  of  cooler 
colours.  The  northwest,  on  the  contrary,  with  its 
generally  cold  gray  light,  requires  warmer  and  more 
luscious  colour  than  the  southeast,  or  even  the  south- 
west, of  the  same  house. 

This  is  a  matter  of  function  only.  The  Southern 
house  must  be  comfortable  perhaps  the  year  round, 
with  the  temperature  above  normal.  It  must  not  only 
physically  and  structurally  be  so  made  that  air  can  be 
easily  circulated  without  admitting  too  much  heat  or 
light,  but  colour  must  be  chosen  which  is  an  antidote 
or  complement  to  the  extreme  heat  of  the  atmosphere. 
Warm  rich  reds,  oranges  and  yellows  are  inappropriate 
242 


BE 


TIIE  INDIVIDUAL  HOUSE 

where  the  temperature  expresses  the  same  quality. 
Greens,  blue  greens,  blues,  violets  and  some  yellows 
may  be  used  in  warm  temperatures. 

The  reverse  of  this  is  true  in  the  Northern  house,  in 
which  the  climatic  conditions  are  directly  opposite, 
and  something  of  the  same  result  is  sought.  Make 
colour  do  the  work  which  the  climatic  condition  does 
not;  let  it  act  on  consciousness  as  a  supplement  to 
what  is  being  forced  on  us  through  the  senses.  This 
is  what  colour  is  for.  Its  function  is  to  stimulate 
certain  ideas  in  the  mind,  either  consciously  or  uncon- 
sciously. Thus  it  produces  a  pleasurable  aesthetic 
sensation  and  also  has  a  neutralizing  effect  upon  other 
sensations. 

The  city  house  must  be  treated  in  colour  in  precisely 
the  same  way:  the  north  side  in  warm  colours,  the 
south  in  cooler.  This  does  not  mean  that  full  intense 
colours,  or  even  half  intense,  in  any  of  these  tones  must 
be  used,  but  it  does  mean  that  if  the  cool  colours  dom- 
inate in  the  southern  exposures  and  the  warm  ones  in 
the  northern  exposures,  there  is  a  feeling  of  equality, 
consistency  and  harmony  in  the  house  unit  thai  cannot 
be  obtained  otherwise. 

This  rule  has  many  modifications.  For  example, 
some  persons  must  have  more  intense  colour  aboul 
them  than  <>ih<Ts.  Some  believe  they  cannol  exist 
unless  they  have  a  blue,  a  red  or  a  green  room,  believing 
that,  temperamentally,  they  require  something  of  the 
kind.  There  are  many  other  things  that  influence 
this  general  statement  but,  in  the  main,  the  rule  should 
be  followed. 

If  one  is  to  spend  only  the    summer   months   in  a 

0  Hi 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

country  house,  and  if  the  climate  during  that  time  is 
warm,  nothing  is  more  helpful  in  obtaining  comfort 
than  rooms  in  light,  cool  colours.  Let  the  blues, 
greens  and  their  hues  dominate;  let  the  yellows  be 
neutralized  to  an  old  ivory,  and  introduce  only  sufficient 
warm  colour  to  give  the  personal  and  exciting  note 
necessary  to  vitalize  the  room. 

These  general  geographical  situations  are  the  first 
thing  to  consider  in  furnishing  and  decorating  any  room 
in  the  house.  A  decorator  or  an  owner  who  attempts 
to  select  a  trim,  a  wall  paper,  or  a  rug  without  first 
asking  himself  how  many  windows  there  are  in  the 
room,  from  what  direction  the  light  conies,  how  much 
sun  the  room  gets,  and  what  part  of  the  day  it  gets  it, 
has  omitted  the  one  thing  which  will  help  him  to  decide 
on  a  right  background.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  as 
essential  to  know  whether  a  room  is  to  be  used  during 
the  entire  year  or  a  portion  of  it,  and  whether  sunlight  is 
obscured  by  nearby  bushes  or  other  buildings,  as  it  is 
to  know  whether  it  is  a  dining-room,  a  bedroom  or  a 
living-room  that  is  to  be  furnished. 

Geography,  then,  plays  an  important  part,  and 
affects  even  the  choice  of  material  out  of  which  a  house 
is  to  be  built.  If  the  house  is  to  appear  as  a  part  of 
the  landscape  surrounding  it,  it  must  be  built  of  some- 
thing which  seems  to  have  some  connection  with  that 
landscape.  In  some  places  white  marble  is  out  of 
place;  in  others  brick  and  other  kinds  of  stone  are 
equally  so.  Sometimes  a  wooden  house  is  remote 
from  the  idea  of  the  landscape.  Whenever  this  is  the 
case,  it  is  quite  impossible  to  harmonize  the  house  with 
the  grounds  and  with  the  more  remote  accessories  of 
244 


a  -  < 

a  r  u 

I  S3 


ANOTHER     I  "i!\  1. 1.'     '  'I      'I'll  I. 

VEXIENCE     wn    DECORATIVE    PLACINGS     VND    WINDOW 

TREATMEN  I 


THE  INDIVIDUAL  HOUSE 

which  it  becomes  a  related  part.  Harmony  between 
the  landscape  and  the  house  is  fundamentally  important 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  exterior. 

Another  important  premise  is  the  function  of  the 
room.  If  one  has  decided  to  paper  several  rooms  in  his 
house,  and  lie  visits  a  wall-paper  shop  with  this  in  mind, 
he  will  often  find  a  salesman  who  displays  his  wares, 
declaring:  "We  are  using  these  papers  this  season 
more  than  any  others,"  or,  '"This  colour  is  all  the 
Sometimes,  too.  textures  figure  as  yearly  fads. 
Japanese  grass  cloths,  glazed  papers,  foliage,  matted 
surface,  etc..  all  have  had  their  day.  The  function  of 
the  room  is  a  question  that  is  fundamental  and  has 
DOthing  to  do  with  what  is  selling  best  or  what  is  newest . 

If  a  pa  pel-  i-  for  a  bedroom,  let  it  express  the  bedroom 
idea  of  sleep  and  rest.  The  value  of  the  paper,  light 
or  dark,  is  a  matter  of  taste,  sometimes  a  ma  Iter  affected 
by  the  age  of  the  occupant.  It  may  also  be  modified 
in  value  by  the  amount  of  light  in  the  room  and  by  the 
fad  of  being  a  country  house  or  a  town  house.  Hut. 
two  things  arc  essential  in  this  room — rest  and  sleep — 
ami  it  matters  not  what  the  style  is,  these  qualities 
should  be  present.  If  the  hue  is  to  be  decided  by  the 
direction  and  amount  of  light  admitted  to  the  room, 
by  the  objects  that  arc  already  there,  and  by  the  per- 
sonal preference  of  the  occupanl  of  the  room,  there  are 
three  influences  any  one  of  which  may  be  entirely 
antagonistic  I"  the  other  two.      Who  shall  decide  which 

one  to  sacrifice?  Rest  and  sl<'<p  come-,  first — then 
personal  choice  « ithoul  doubt. 

If  tin'  room  has  very  little  light,  the  colour  may  be  a 
little  more  intense  than  it  otherwise  should  be,  but  the 

245 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

background  colour  is  fixed  by  the  law  of  background, 
not  personal  whim.  Neither  southern  exposures  nor 
the  vogue  of  the  day  will  make  a  too  intense  back- 
ground right  for  rest  or  sleep  in  any  house. 

Function,  then,  is  fundamental  wherever  a  room  is, 
or  whoever  occupies  it.  What  is  true  of  one  of  a  type 
of  room  is  true  of  the  others  of  the  same  type. 

Another  obstacle  that  often  interferes  with  the  selec- 
tion of  material  has  been  somewhat  discussed  in  the 
previous  chapter.  This  is  the  fact  that  objects  already 
in  the  room  must  be  retained  there  as  associates  of  the 
new  ones.  The  study  of  historic  periods  shows  one  so 
clearly  the  quality  value  of  every  article  of  furniture 
that  one  should  be  familiar  with  furnishings  as  quality 
expressions.  The  straight-lined  architectural  features 
of  an  Italian  chair  or  a  Mission  desk  present  a  firm, 
unrelenting,  yet  simple  quality  effect  which  should 
immediately  be  recognized.  The  qualities  of  an  object 
should  be  detected  at  sight.  Everything  in  furniture  and 
furnishing  means  something.  This  elemental  meaning 
is  the  expression  of  an  idea,  and  it  is  quite  simple  to  find 
other  ideas  which  in  combination  express  a  whole. 

Some  of  us  remember  a  game  played  with  letters  of 
the  alphabet  cut  and  pasted  on  small  cardboard  squares. 
One  way  of  using  these  was  to  take  a  certain  number  of 
letters  and  see  how  many  words  could  be  made  out  of 
these  letters.  Another  was  to  take  a  certain  word  and 
see  how  many  other  words  could  be  made  from  the 
letters  of  that  word.  Each  letter  in  each  case  expressed 
an  idea.  The  word  "simple,"  for  example,  contains 
six  letters,  each  different  in  its  meaning  and  form 
from  the  other  five.  If  any  four  of  these  letters  were 
246 


THE  INDIVIDUAL  HOUSE 

given,  and  one  wore  asked  to  make  the  completed  word 
"simple,"  he  would  find  no  difficulty  in  supplying  the 
other  two  letters  from  the  collection. 

This  is  precisely  what  should  he  done  in  interior 
decoration.  Take  account  of  stock  before  you  paper 
the  wall,  buy  new  hangings,  or  add  a  chair,  a  desk  or  a 
table.  Determine  what  you  want  your  room  to  ex- 
press when  it  is  done,  and  then  there  are  two  different 
things  to  remember:  first,  buy  the  thing  which  you 
know  supplies  one  of  the  missing  letters  in  your  word, 
and  do  not  buy  anything  that  does  not  supply  it;  in 
the  second  place,  remember  thai  when  you  have  sup- 
plied the  two  letters,  there  are  no  more  letters  needed, 
and  if  you  find  a  cheap  object,  or  even  a  beautiful  one, 
that  is  not  required  to  complete  your  word,  it  is  super- 
fluous and  never  can  be  a  part  of  your  original  idea. 
You  decided  that  when  you  selected  the  word  '"simple" 
instead  of  "Constantinople"  as  your  room  idea. 

If  people  would  see  this  much,  there  would  bo  no 
very  had  rooms,  SO  far  as  putting  new  objects  with 
those  already  acquired  is  concerned. 

Remember,  then,  that  a  scale  quality  which  is  pon- 
derous and  heavy  musl  not  ho  supplemented  with  an 
object  which  is  light,  informal  and  tiny,  except  there 
be  some  middle  grounds  in  which  a  scale  is  found  that 
relates  these  two  differenl  things.  Greal  divergence 
in  colour  relationships  in  textures,  size,  shapes  and  line 
directions  must  ho  harmonized  in  the  same  way.  This 
is  done  by  remembering  the  Greek  law  and  tin-  subtle 
relationships  which  it  makes  possible.  A  reversion  to 
principle  LS  always  safe  in  forming  a   critical  judgment 

in  the  field  of  applied  arts. 

247 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

The  room  quality  which  causes  most  discussion  is  per- 
sonality. It  is  hard  to  believe  that  another's  personality 
is  as  important  as  one's  own.  It  is  still  harder  to 
believe  that  some  one  else  may  have  a  more  pleasing 
conception  of  anything  than  we  have  ourselves.  Re- 
member that  a  room  to  live  in  and  one  to  look  at  are 
two  things  and  that  you  do  not  have  to  live  in  every 
room  you  see  or  create. 

Many  interior  decorators  err  in  supposing  that 
because  they  have  succeeded  in  developing  a  type  of 
room  which  has  been  called  beautiful  and  successful, 
they  can  apply  the  same  treatment  to  any  room.  It 
is  astounding  how  many  decorators  plan  other  people's 
rooms  while  thinking  about  themselves.  This  is  an- 
alogous to  the  case  of  a  physician  who  begins  his 
diagnosis  by  introspection,  determining  first  the  state 
of  his  own  internal  organs.  Then,  having  decided  how 
he  himself  feels,  advises  his  client  what  to  take. 

The  matter  of  personality  is  more  important  than 
geography,  functional  fitness  or  old  things  which  must 
be  retained.  It  is  more  important  because  every 
person  is  more  interested  in  himself  than  he  is  in  any- 
thing else — try  as  he  may  to  be  otherwise.  He  wants 
something,  and  knowing  what  he  wants,  believes  that 
he  has  a  right  to  express  that  want.  The  skillful  decora- 
tor finds  out  all  he  possibly  can  of  the  personal  char- 
acteristics of  his  client,  his  likes  and  dislikes,  natural 
tendencies  and  idiosyncrasies,  before  he  shows  him  any 
wall  cover  or  discusses  the  cost  of  furniture.  By  the 
way,  this  question  of  cost  is  the  last  thing  to  mention. 
A  few  moments'  conversation  will  usually  show  whether 
a  client  likes  red  or  blue,  and  should  also  disclose 
248 


THE  INDIVIDUAL  HOUSE 

whether  she  ought  to  have  if  or  oot.  Manifest  antag- 
onism is  not  the  method  by  which  to  obtain  the  desired 
result,  but  a  gradual  elimination  of  one  idea  and  the 
substitution  of  another.     This  is  tact. 

What  is  true  of  colour  is  apparently  so  in  other 
fields.  Some  personalities  are  expressed  in  erratic 
motions;  such  persons,  for  their  peace  of  mind,  should 
be  set  in  a  perfectly  balanced,  well-held  and  consistent 
room.  To  so  lead  and  influence  the  client  thai  he  be- 
li<-\  es  the  room  to  be  arranged  according  to  his  own  idea 
is  the  work  of  the  clever  decorator.  When  the  right  set- 
ting for  the  personality  is  attained,  the  client  is,  almost 
without  exception,  pleased,  even  though  he  may  have 
rebelled  during  the  process. 

The  essentials  of  a  room  are  far  too  significant  to 
permit  a  personal  fancy  to  interfere  with  righl  usage. 
The  matter  of  backgrounds,  the  method  of  hanging 
curtains,  the  consistent  structural  arrangement  of 
furniture,  modifications  of  this  structure  l>y  the  freer 
elements,  the  balanced  arrangement  for  rest  and  the 
proper  placement  of  decorative  objects  arc  not  open  to 
personal  whim.  They  are  governed  by  common  sense 
and  the  laws  of  choice  and  arrangement  which  are 
fundamental  in  any  right  design.  But  the  final  hue 
choice  in  colour,  how  dark  or  how  light  the  room  shall 
be,  or  what  shall  be  the  dominating  characteristic  of 
the  room,  are  questions  for  personal  choice. 

The  personal  touch,  too,  is  shown,  or  should  be,  in 
the  smaller  articles  in  the  room,  which  by  their  choice 
and  placement  indicate  the  character  of  the  occupant. 
This  personal  touch  is  found  in  the  selection,  framing 
and    hanging   of   pictures,   although    the   way    they  are 

21-J 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

hung  and  framed  is  largely  a  matter  of  impersonal 
choice. 

The  personal  touch  again  is  felt  in  the  selection  and 
arrangement  of  flowers.  Both  these  subjects  will  be 
treated  later  in  detail,  but  a  person  who  habitually 
selects  and  uses  lilies  is  a  very  different  person  from 
one  who  uses  carnations,  or  one  who  would  chose 
American  beauty  roses — not  to  mention  orchids. 

A  few  photographs,  too,  if  properly  framed  add  a 
personal  touch  to  the  quality  of  a  living-room.  Pieces  of 
pottery  or  other  decorative  objects  sometimes  give  just 
the  note  that  makes  the  room  the  visible  expression  of  the 
inward  thought  of  the  person  who  occupies  the  room. 

Personality  should  not  interfere  with  the  fundamen- 
tals of  selection  or  arrangement  which  are  necessary 
to  good  taste.  The  larger  facts  are  not  determined ' 
by  personal  preference,  but  the  way  in  which  they  are 
interpreted  varies  with  personality,  and  the  smaller 
or  more  decorative  objects  in  the  room  may  be  very  per- 
sonal if  they  are  not  ostentatiously  displayed,  or  if  there 
are  not  too  many  of  them  in  too  prominent  a  place. 

The  same  thing  is  true  of  people.  In  the  main,  our 
friends  are  all  alike.  The  fundamental  facts  of  their 
structure,  mental  and  physical,  and  of  their  decorative 
qualities,  mental  and  physical,  are  the  same.  Per- 
sonal traits  do  not  change  fundamental  facts.  It  is, 
however,  essential  that  decorators  should  understand 
not  only  their  business  but  their  clients.  Those,  also, 
who  have  houses  should  not  understand  themselves 
and  their  own  whims  alone,  they  should  also  under- 
stand the  laws  which  govern  choice  and  arrangement 
in  all  houses. 
250 


PART  III  CHAPTER  XVII 

SOME     SPECIAL     SUGGESTIONS 

CHOICE,     FRAMING     AM)     HANGING     PIC- 
TURES,   HANGING    CURTAINS,    METHODS 
OF    LIGHTING,    CHOICE    OF    DECORATIVE 
OBJECTS,     GENERAL     PLACEMENT 

FOR  many  yours  pictures  alone  were  regarded  as  fine 
art.  Art  study  meant  picture  painting,  while  art  ap- 
preciation was  synonomous  with  picture  discussion. 
The  realization  that  art  quality  in  pictures  is  identical 
with  art  quality  in  chairs  and  rugs  has  been  gradual. 

This  realization  will  lead  to  a  better  choice  and  a  more 
consistent  use  of  pictures  in  interior  dec-oration.  One 
needs  to  have  not  only  a  feeling  for  a  beautiful  picture, 
but  a  sense  of  its  fitness  as  a  wall  decoration,  and  of 
its  harmony  with  any  type  of  furnishings  to  be  used 
with  it. 

During  the  historical  periods  painting  developed 
with  other  branches  of  art.  The  High  Renaissance  in 
Italy  found  expression  for  its  qualities  in  pictures, 
furniture,  textiles  and  other  art  objects  simultaneously. 
The  painters  of  the  day--  of  Louis  XV,  like  Watteau 
and  Fratfonard,  expressed  precisely  the  qualities  in  their 
picture-  that  the  cabinetmakers,  the  textile  weavers 
and  the  metal  workers  expressed  iii  their  fields.     Thus 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

are  periods  clearly  defined,  but  it  is  sufficient  for  us  to 
see  the  correspondence  between  pictures  and  other  ob- 
jects of  art  expressing  the  same  idea. 

Strictly  period  rooms  should  have  strictly  period 
pictures;  not  always  pictures  painted  in  that  period, 
for  many  period  pictures,  like  period  furniture,  were 
poor  expressions  of  the  period  idea;  but  what  they 
should  have  is  a  picture  whose  spirit  and  feeling  are 
precisely  that  expressed  by  the  other  articles  in  use 
during  that  period.  In  rooms,  however,  in  which  the 
strict  period  idea  is  not  intended,  a  wider  range  of 
picture  choice  is  possible.  There  is  no  reason,  however, 
for  a  wild  and  unrelated  choice  in  pictures  any  more 
than  in  other  decorative  objects.  The  same  harmony 
of  idea  should  be  apparent  that  is  felt  in  any  other 
quality  that  the  room  expresses.  These  are  the  funda- 
mental points  in  the  choice  of  pictures  for  interior  dec- 
oration. 

Another  and  closely  related  element  is  the  medium 
in  which  the  picture  is  expressed.  There  are  oils, 
water  colours,  prints,  photographs,  etchings  and  steel 
engravings.  These  textures  have  about  the  same 
relation  to  each  other  that  burlap,  linen,  cotton  bed- 
ticking,  chiffon  and  cane-seated  chairs  have.  It  is 
impossible  to  harmonize  them  all  in  the  one  room,  or,  in 
fact,  to  bring  any  two  or  three  of  them  closely  together. 

If  there  is  one  oil  painting  in  the  ordinary  room,  it  is  a 
delicate  matter  to  introduce  any  other  picture  in  any 
other  medium.  Of  course,  it  is  possible  that  a  water 
colour  might  be  broadly  enough  treated  and  of  a  subject 
closely  enough  allied  to  make  it  possible.  A  photo- 
graph of  an  oil  painting,  similarly  treated,  in  a  similar 
252 


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1111 

SOME  SPECIAL  SUGGESTIONS 

spirit,  might  be,  under  some  conditions,  used.  Very 
rarely  is  it  possible  to  combine  any  of  these  excepting 
prints  with  photographs,  etchings  with  steel  engravings, 

or,  occasionally,  a  water  colour  with  oil. 

Too  many  pictures  together  in  any  media  indicate 
bad  taste.     We  can  learn  much  from  the  Japanese  in 

that  regard.  They  hang  one  picture  at  a  time  of  the 
right  size  in  the  right  place  and,  after  having  enjoyed 
that  for  some  time,  change  it  for  another,  and  another; 
hut  they  never  presenl  their  pictures  in  herds  or  droves. 

AlS  to  frames,  what  they  are  and  what  they  should 
he,  volumes  could  he  written.  The  birth  and  evolution 
of  the  picture  frame  is  a  subject  that  no  one  has,  so 
far.  exploited  The  function  of  the  frame  is  to  hold  the 
picture  in  place,  deinark  it  slightly  from  the  wall  on 
v.  Inch  it  is  hung,  hut  still  relate  it  to  the  wall,  and  make 
easy  the  transition  from  it  to  the  picture.  When  a 
picture  frame  doc-,  this,  and  in  no  way  detracts  from 
the  picture  itself,  il  i>  good.  When  it  attracts  atten- 
tion by  its  garish  glitter,  its  erratic  ornament,  or  its 
prodigious  size,  at  the  expense  of  the  picture  itself,  it 
i-  one  of  the  suresl  indexes  of  bad  taste  on  the  part  of 
the  owner. 

Whatever  is  on  the  wall  is  a  part  of  it  or  it  i^  not  dec- 
orative. Right  here  let  it  he  said  that  those  frames 
which  project  forward  like  an  unnatural  growth  cease 
to  lie  decorative.  ( me  feels  them  to  be  a  thing  separate 
from  tin-  wall  itself.     In  the  good  days,  when  pictures 

were  really  decoration-.,  they  were  either  painted  on  I  he 
wall,  painted  to  fit  wall  spacer,  or  hung  in  panels  or 
other  spots  to  which  they  were  suited  in  size  and  shap  -. 
<  )f  late,  owing  to  the  inllucnce  of  the  Decadent  Renais- 

I 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

sance,  they  have  been  surrounded  by  ornate,  vulgar 
and  expensive  gilt  frames  whose  only  excuse  for  being 
was  their  showiness  and  their  cost.  The  sooner  this 
over-ornamented  style  in  picture  frames  is  eliminated, 
the  sooner  pictures  will  take  their  rightful  place  as  a 
factor  in  the  decorative  idea.  It  is  because  of  these 
abuses  that  pictures  have  fallen  somewhat  into  disuse  by 
all  good  decorators  and  most  sensible  house  furnishers. 

For  years  the  gilt  frame  held  the  field.  Of  late  there 
has  been  a  decided  improvement,  and  when  gilt  is  used 
it  is  now  toned  either  warm  or  cool,  and  very  much 
dulled,  so  that  it  seems,  in  many  instances,  to  relate, 
somewhat,  to  the  picture  itself,  being  similarly  keyed. 
Quite  frequently,  even  now,  it  is  not  sufficiently  keyed 
so  that  it  has  any  relation  to  the  wall  surface  upon  which 
it  is  hung.  Both  the  picture  and  the  wall  should  be 
taken  into  consideration  in  the  choice  of  a  frame  with 
reference  to  its  value  and  intensity  relationship. 

The  motifs  of  decoration  upon  gilt  picture  frames  are 
generally  of  a  historic  character,  some  Florentine, 
some  French  and  others  Flemish.  These  motifs  are 
the  same  that  appeared  in  furniture  and  other  art 
objects  and,  of  course,  are  expressive  of  the  period 
ideas  for  which  they  stood.  It  is  a  strange  fancy  to 
have  taken  these  historic  motifs,  enlarged  them  and 
made  them  more  prominent,  and  then  to  have  worked 
them  into  a  picture  frame.  These  frames  are  often 
of  totally  unrelated  periods,  and  are  used  on  pictures 
expressing  ideas  so  foreign  to  those  expressed  by  the 
motifs  that  they  are  quite  antagonistic  in  character. 

Frequently  a  Decadent  Renaissance  frame  is  seen 
about  such  a  picture  as  a  Millet,  or  a  French  Louis  XV 
254 


SOME  SPECIAL  SUGGESTIONS 

frame  on  a  Holbein.  What  could  be  more  ridiculous 
than  such  combinations  as  these,  and  why  will  the  in- 
telligent public  submit  to  such  things  because  a  picture 
framer  or  a  so-called  artist  does  not  know  any  better? 
This  is  a  field  in  which  the  common  sense  of  the  public 
can  be  relied  upon  to  make  a  change  as  soon  as  it  is 
aroused  to  a  consciousness  of  the  truth. 

Water  colours  are  sometimes  well  framed  in  dull, 
flat  gilt  frames,  and  sometimes  in  wooden  ones.  Jap- 
anese prints  are  generally  good  in  dead  black,  flat  wood 
mouldings.  In  photographs  there  is  a  very  wide  range. 
Browns  are  the  favoured  tones.  The  frames  should  be 
wood,  in  the  same  hue,  not  more  intense,  and  of  a  value 
a  little  lighter  than  the  darkest  tone  in  the  picture. 
This  will  always  produce  an  agreeable  result. 

The  size,  width  and  strength  of  the  mouldings  de- 
pend upon  several  things  and  are  too  much  a  question 
of  feeling  to  admit  of  a  hard  and  fast  rule.  Large, 
single  objects  require  a  wider  and  stronger  frame  than 
delicate  small  ones  in  the  same  picture  size.  Violent 
motion-  of  water,  tree-  or  animals  require  a  stronger 
Sustaining  power  than  the  subdued  or  quiet  sunset  or 
May-day  farm  scenes.  Strong  and  vivid  colour  re- 
quires a  stronger  frame  than  neutral  and  finely  blended 
combinations.  Where  strength  and  motif  action  pre- 
vail there  width  and  prominence  in  frame  appear; 
where  quiet,  closely  harmonious  combinations  exisl ,  a  less 
powerful  frame  or  support   i-  required.      Usually  the 

frame- -elected  .ire  too  wide  a  nd .  more  of  I  eu  than  not.  too 

much  ornamented  and  too  brilliant  or  intense  in  colour. 

The  matted  picture  has  had  its  day.  Only  in  rare 
instances  now  i-  it  used.     An  occasional  water  colour, 

855 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

for  example,  a  gem  or  jewel,  being  too  tiny  to  frame, 
is  placed  upon  a  mat  that  is  quite  inconspicuous  and 
related  in  tone  to  both  the  water  colour  and  the  frame 
about  it.  This  makes  an  easy  transition  from  the 
picture  to  the  frame.  The  same  thing  may  be  said  of 
etchings.  Photographs  and  prints  are  no  longer  mounted 
on  mats  but  are  framed,  as  they  should  be,  close  to  the 
picture. 

The  fallacy  of  mounting  small  photographs  or  other 
pictures  on  two  or  more  colours,  or  of  leaving  a  white 
or  a  black  streak  around  the  photograph  to  form  another 
frame  has  long  since  been  felt.  One  moulding  or  frame 
is  sufficient  in  most  instances.  In  rare  cases  a  narrow 
gilt  edge  inside  the  wood  is  permissible.  The  intense 
red  and  green  as  well  as  the  pure  white  mats  of  the 
olden  days  are  gone  forever,  with  the  rest  of  their  Vic- 
torian associates. 

Hanging  pictures  is  an  art.  In  general,  oils  and 
other  large  pictures  should  be  hung,  when  possible,  so 
that  the  eye  of  the  average  person  standing  will  be 
about  opposite  the  centre  of  the  picture.  This  is  as 
high  as  pictures  under  ordinary  circumstances  can  be 
hung.  Reference  has  before  been  made  to  the  way 
they  should  be  hung.  If  wire  or  cord  be  used,  let  two 
appear,  each  parallel  with  the  side  of  the  frame,  and 
each  extending,  in  harmony  with  other  vertical  lines, 
to  a  hook  at  the  picture  moulding.  Make  this  hang- 
ing just  as  inconspicuous  as  possible.  Tone  the  wires 
to  the  wall  if  possible  so  that  they  are  practically  in- 
visible. Anything  which  serves  to  emphasize  the  wire 
or  picture  hook  is  not  only  ugly  but  inconsistent. 

When  pictures  are  to  be  hung  in  groups  they  must 
256 


SOME  SPECIAL  SUGGESTIONS 

be  very  can-fully  chosen.  Most  of  US  have  small 
photographs  or  other  pictures  so  personal  that  we  think 
we  cannot  part  with  them  and  must  hang  them.  We 
have  no  place  on  the  wall  suited  to  them  in  size  or 
shape.  We  must,  therefore,  put  two  or  three  together, 
though  this  should  he  done  as  rarely  as  possible.  Several 
groups  of  these  upon  a  wall  are  non-decorative  and 
generally  express  bad  form.  When  groups  are  to  be 
hung,  say  two  or  three,  there  are  two  things  vitally 
important:  first,  the  tops  of  these  pictures  must  be  on  a 
straight  line;  second,  they  must  be  hung  quite  close 
together,  say  two  or  three  inches  apart,  so  that  they 
seem  easily  to  unite  and  form  one  decorative  spot.  To 
scatter  or  spatter  them  about  is  to  use  the  whole  decora- 
tive effect  as  a  wall  spot.  These  are  generally  better 
framed  to  stand  on  a  table  or  cabinet  than  to  arrange 
as  wall  decorations. 

An  important  question  is  what  shall  appear  under 
pictures  if  they  are  hung  upon  a  wall.  Sometimes  we 
see  them  hung  without  any  relation  whatever  to  furni- 
ture pieces,  thai  is,  they  are  hung  in  any  place  on  the 
wall  where  there  seems  to  be  a  bare  spot.  A  picture 
of  any  considerable  size  with  a  frame  of  any  perceptible 
weight  is  not  very  decorative  on  the  wall  unless  directly 
under  it  is  some  article  of  furniture  to  which  it  seems 
to  belong.  A  picture  should  be  hung  for  example  over 
a  cabinet  or  console.  The  picture  alone  would  be  an 
impossible  excrescence,  but  if  some  articles  are  used  on 
the  cabinel  or  console  which  bring  the  group  somewhere 
near  the  picture,  then  the  console,  the  decorative 
articles  and  the  picture  together  form  an  agreeable 
decorative  group. 

257 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

Pictures  must  be  hung  flat  to  the  wall  in  order  to 
form  a  part  of  the  wall.  There  is  only  one  excuse  for 
allowing  them  to  dip  at  the  top,  and  that  is  that  they 
may  get  a  better  light.  This,  however,  does  not  in  the 
least  influence  the  matter  of  decoration.  When  pic- 
tures are  hung  in  this  way  the  room  exists  for  the  pic- 
ture, and  not  the  picture  for  the  room,  for  they  are 
not  decoratively  placed  when  they  are  so  hung. 

Let  us  try  to  select  pictures  that  are  in  subject,  in 
treatment  and  in  framing,  harmonious  with  each  other 
and  also  with  the  various  objects  we  are  using  with 
them  in  the  room.  Let  us  look  to  it  that  they  are 
properly  hung — flat,  with  two  wires,  if  any — properly 
grouped,  and  related  to  other  objects  by  their  placement 
in  the  room.  Under  such  conditions  few  pictures  are 
essential  in  most  rooms.  Too  many  pictures  have  as 
bad  an  effect  as  too  many  of  anything  else,  and  a  bad 
treatment  of  pictures  is  worse  than  a  bad  treatment  of 
other  things,  because  pictures  are  more  capable  of  ex- 
tremes in  good  and  bad  than  most  articles,  and  there 
are  more  ways  to  misuse  them  because  of  their  great 
range  possibility.  The  greatest  care  is  necessary  then 
to  limit  the  number,  carefully  decide  the  treatment,  or, 
when  in  doubt,  use  none. 

Next  in  importance  to  the  background  of  a  room  is  the 
matter  of  its  curtains  or  hangings.  From  one  view- 
point they  are  really  a  part  of  the  background.  From 
another  angle,  however,  they  are  more  than  this:  they 
are  the  first  decorative  idea  used  with  the  walls  and 
trim  as  a  background  for  them.  A  discussion  of  cur- 
tains and  hangings  involves  two  questions:  what  to 
hang  and  how  to  hang  it. 
258 


SOME  SPECIAL  SUGGESTIONS 

"While  do  specific  rules  can  be  given  as  to  what  shall 
be  used,  some  hints  may  be  helpful.  In  the  first  place, 
there  is  the  question  of  their  relation  to  the  function 
of  the  window.  If  my  room  is  already  too  dark  or  too 
light,  I  must  choose  my  hangingswith  thisasa  modifying 
idea.  If  considerable  latitude  in  this  regard  is  possible, 
then  less  attention  should  be  given  to  the  thinness  or  thick- 
ness and  the  general  textural  weight  of  the  material  used. 

The  question  of  lighting  also  affects  the  colour.  It 
must  he  remembered  that  yellow  produces  light;  black 
absorbs  it.  Blues,  reds  and  violets  are  nearer  black 
and.  therefore,  more  powerful  in  absorbing  colour  than 
in  reflecting  it.  All  this  must  be  considered  before  the 
colour  is  finally  determined. 

Hangings  must  also  be  considered  as  a  decorative 
note.  If  the  walls  are  proper  backgrounds — plain, 
simple  and  free  from  objects  which  attract  undue  at- 
tention the  curtains  may  be  stronger  in  colour  and 
more  striking  in  pattern,  and  still  be  of  a  most  fasci- 
nating decorative  quality. 

Printed  linens,  damasks,  brocades,  brocatelles,  etc., 
according  to  the  character  of  the  room,  may  be  used 
with  simple  backgrounds  to  produce  a  simple  decorative 
effect.  If  the  patterns  show  a  floral  treatment  the 
decorative  effect  is  better  when  the  curtains  are  drawn 
aside,  thus  presenting  a  charming  colour  effect  without 
the  introduction  of  the  naturalistic  idea  in  a  too  promi- 
nent way. 

If  more  than  one  set  of  curtains  is  to  be  hung,  tin- 
inner  pair  may  be  net,  fine  plain  lace,  thin  silk  or  case- 
ment cloth,  according  to  the  textural  quality  needed 
in    the    design    idea.     The    outer    or    heavy    hanging, 

259 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

which  is  more  within  the  room,  may  be  of  any  of  the 
heavy  materials  before  mentioned.  This  outer  hang- 
ing serves  three  purposes:  it  adds  a  note  of  richness 
and  elegance  to  the  decorative  idea,  it  may  be  used  to 
regulate  the  amount  of  light  during  the  daytime,  and 
when  closely  drawn  at  night  gives  to  the  room  an  air  of 
seclusion  and  privacy  as  well  as  richness  that  is  hard 
to  obtain  in  any  other  way. 

How  to  hang  curtains  is  a  little  harder  to  determine. 
Window  trims  and  other  extenuating  circumstances 
differ  so  radically  that  a  general  law  is  likely  to  be  mis- 
applied. Sometimes  woodwork  is  so  bad  in  colour,  or 
so  hideous  in  treatment,  that  it  is  a  joy  to  arrange  the 
heavy  hangings  in  such  a  way  that  the  window  trim  is 
entirely  covered.  This  is  true  sometimes  of  doors. 
If  the  windows  are  particularly  small  in  scale  for  the 
room,  this  same  treatment  may  be  used  to  advantage. 
When  a  note  of  larger  decorative  area  is  desirable,  it 
may  be  attained  in  this  way  also. 

In  general,  however,  the  inside  curtain — that  is,  the 
one  next  the  glass — should  be  hung  inside  the  window 
casing.  This  is  done  by  extending  a  small  brass  rod 
across  the  top  well  within  the  window  casing  toward 
the  glass.  If  cords  and  travellers  are  obtainable,  the 
inner  curtain  should  be  plaited  in  single  plaits  at  inter- 
vals, so  that  when  the  curtains  are  hung  in  place  they 
will  exactly  fill  the  window  space  when  drawn  together 
in  the  centre.  This  allows  the  curtain  to  hang  in  folds 
regularly  arranged  and  pleasingly  placed.  When  the 
curtains  are  drawn,  the  window  space  is  filled  and, 
when  pulled  apart,  the  curtain  easily  adjusts  itself  in  a 
decorative  way. 
260 


SOMK  SPECIAL  SUGGESTIONS 

The  material  should  be  arranged  with  a  heading 
at  the  top,  stiffened  in  some  way  so  that  it  obscures  the 
brass  pins  which  are  fastened  into  the  back  of  the  cur- 
tain. On  the  rod  there  are  small  brass  rings  info  which 
these  pins  are  fastened  and  the  mechanics  of  the  cur- 
tain are  hidden  by  the  heading  at  the  to]).  The  cur- 
tains should  lie  of  such  a  length  that  they  just  escape 
the  window  --ill.  They  may  he  pulled  close  or  left 
wide  open  without  any  effort;  and  they  fit  their  space 
and  place  as  a  decorative  idea. 

In  hanging  curtains  one  should  always  hear  in  mind 
that  the  function  of  the  window  must  not  he  interfered 
with:  neither  must  the  function  of  the  curtain.  The 
material  must  he  so  arranged  that  the  largesl  measure 
of  decorative  effect  is  obtained.  Theabove  suggestions, 
if  followed,  will  lead  to  this  result. 

Sometime--  the  outer  or  heavy  hangings  may  also 
he  hung  within  the  window  casing  in  the  same  way  as 
the  inner  hangings,  excepting  that  the  former  should 
be  placed  near  the  edge  of  the  casing  toward  the  room. 
When  the  rod  is  placed  at  the  extreme  outer  edges  of  the 
casing,  it  should  he  raised  far  enough  toward  the  top 
to  conceal  the  casing.  In  this  case,  small  brackets  are 
used  which  will  l>c  covered  by  the  hanging. 

The  same  era  that  produced  clumsy  picture  frames, 
gorgeous  and  ostentatious,  and  produced  badly  pro- 
portioned grills  and  other  atrocities,  invented  also  the 

w len   curtain   pole,   with   its  brass  ends  and  other 

trimmings.  Discard  these  and  all  objects  of  their 
kind  a-  impossible  to  the  decorative  sense.  The  brass 
rods  should  he  no  larger  than  is  essential  to  perform 
their  function.      If  possible,   they  should   he  dulled    in 

20 1 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

colour  until  they  are  unobtrusive  and  show  little  against 
the  background.  The  rings,  pins  and  other  trappings 
should  be  kept  on  the  side  nearest  the  glass  and  out  of 
sight,  as  all  other  machinery  must  be  where  art  or  dec- 
orative quality  is  concerned. 

It  may  be  inferred  from  this  that  two  sets  of  curtains 
are  generally  desirable.  This  is  not  always  the  case. 
In  some  places,  and  under  some  conditions,  window 
shades  or  blinds  are  essential.  It  is  a  pity  that  this  is 
so  because  of  their  extreme  ugliness.  When  they  are  used 
they  should  be  kept  rolled  up  and  out  of  sight,  excepting 
when  performing  their  necessary  function.  With  two 
sets  of  curtains  it  is  less  necessary  to  use  shades. 

There  are  times  also  when  the  window  is  so  small,  the 
lighting  capacity  so  inadequate,  and  the  scale  of  the 
room  and  furniture  so  light  that  it  is  a  mistake  to  have 
more  than  one  pair  of  hangings.  In  an  extreme  case 
of  this  kind  a  thin  net  or  muslin  might  answer  the  pur- 
pose. If  a  shade  or  blind  is  used,  this  should  be  hung 
within  the  casing. 

Probably  no  one  material  is  as  effective  in  as  many 
ways  and  under  as  varied  conditions  for  a  single  cur- 
tain as  what  is  known  as  English  casement  cloth.  This 
is  good  in  the  country,  in  the  town  house,  in  the  North 
and  in  the  South.  It  is  available  for  a  moderate  price 
and  is  good  enough  to  use  almost  anywhere. 

When  one  pair  of  curtains  is  used,  almost  without 
exception,  these  curtains  should  stop  at  the  casement 
line.  With  the  two  pairs,  the  preference  is  for  the  heavy 
hangings  to  escape  the  floor  by  an  inch  or  two.  This 
is  decorative  and  hygienic. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  whatever  the  problem  is, 
262 


SOME  SPECIAL  SUGGESTIONS 

thai  the  righl  idea  in  hangings  is  of  the  first  importance 
in  interior  decoration  after  the  background  lias  been 
determined. 

It  may  be  wise,  while  discussing  the  hangings  as  they 
relate  to  the  window  trim,  to  say  something  in  regard 
to  the  treatment  of  wood  as  it  is  a  part  of  the  back- 
ground. Wood  may  be  considered  from  two  points  of 
view  only:  first,  the  natural  wood,  and  second  an  arti- 
ficial treatment  of  it. 

There  was  a  time  when  it  was  considered  a  sin  to 
obscure  in  any  way  a  natural  grain  or  other  unusual 
and  ofttimes  ugly  marks  which  nature  had  impressed 
on  wood.  A  grain  had  to  be  brought  out  clearly  and 
distinctly.  Besides  this,  it  was  varnished  or  glazed 
until  it  appeared  like  wood  under  glass.  Xot  so  many 
years  ago  we  even  went  so  far  as  to  paint  the  surface 
of  wood,  imitating  its  colour  and  streaking  it  with  fine 
tooth  and  coarse  tooth  combs,  creating  grains  more 
grotesque  and  improbable  than  original  ones  could  be. 
This  insincere  attempt  to  copy  nature  is  the  worst  of 
all. 

In  any  kind  of  wood  there  are  beautiful  and  ugly 
pieces.  The  beautiful  ones  are  the  characteristic  ones 
which  arc  not  grotesque  miscarriages  in  nature.     These 

w 1-      often  beautiful  in  colour,  charming  in  texture 

and  pleasing  withal  may  be  made  ugly  by  any  of  the 
treatments  above  mentioned.  Let  them  l»e  treated 
in  :in  oil  or  French  finish  in  such  a  way  Ihal  their 
salient  qualities  appear,  their  texture  i--  in  no  way  dis- 
turbed and  their  surface  looks  like  wood,  neither  glass 
nor  any  other  material  being  suggested  by  it.  This 
is  the  proper  treatmenl  for  natural  wood. 

Sf>S 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

Often  it  is  impossible  to  arrive  at  decorative  effects 
without  changing  materially  the  colour  of  the  wood; 
still  natural  wood  or  unpainted  wood  has  its  place 
in  the  decorative  idea.  Certain  methods  of  staining 
wood  are  successful  in  keying  it  to  backgrounds  which 
must  be  used  if  the  idea  of  the  room  is  not  destroyed. 
Great  care  should  be  taken,  however,  that  an  impossi- 
ble wood  colour  is  not  used  if  the  wood  is  to  show 
its  grain  and  look  natural  in  all  but  its  colour.  If  the 
conventional  stain  is  used  it  must  in  some  way  conven- 
tionalize the  other  qualities  of  the  wood  in  order  that 
they  should  be  harmonious. 

The  second  treatment  of  wood  I  shall  call  artificial. 
During  periods  in  history  that  have  reached  high  states 
of  social  charm,  where  manners,  customs  and  life  ex- 
pressions were  more  or  less  artificial,  it  has  been  found 
necessary  to  do  away  with  the  grains  and  other  natural 
qualities  of  wood  in  order  that  it,  too,  should  express 
the  same  artificial  life. 

In  the  Baroque  Renaissance  gilt  treatment  became  a 
craze.  Fruits,  vegetables,  wood  and  persons — all  were 
done  in  gilt.  This  necessitated  the  covering  of  wood 
with  gold  leaf  that  unity  in  treatment  might  obtain. 
The  periods  of  Louis  XIII  and  XIV  are  exuberant  with 
artificial  woods  made  so  by  the  gilt  treatment.  During 
the  periods  of  Louis  XV  and  XVI,  as  well  as  the  Eng- 
lish periods  of  Hepplewhite  and  Adam,  paint  and 
enamel  was  found  to  be  a  suitable  material  for  ex- 
pressing the  artificial  idea. 

Painted  woods  did  not  longer  claim  to  be  woods. 
They  represented  an  artificial  surface,  structural  per- 
haps in  its  form,  decorative  in  its  appearance  but  veiled 
264 


SOME  SPECIAL  SUGGESTIONS 

or  hidden  as  to  its  actual  material.  This  is  perfectly 
legitimate  and  when  followed  consistently  forms  one 
of  the  most  attractive  and  most  flexible  treatments  of 
wood  so  far  as  interior  decoration  is  concerned. 

A  room  can  often  be  given  a  suitable  background  if 
an  ordinary  wall  paper,  soft  and  grayed  in  tone,  is  sup- 
plemented by  a  trim,  either  deep  ivory  white,  or.  better 
still,  by  a  colour  as  nearly  as  possible  like  the  wall 
covering.  This,  with  a  ceiling  (he  same  colour,  but  one 
shade  lighter,  and  a  floor  of  the  same  tone,  but  darker, 
is  one  of  the  most  charming  backgrounds  imaginable 
for  many  types  of  modern  rooms. 

To  consider  wood  as  trim  and  not  give  a  word  to  the 
use  of  wood  in  furniture  would  be  to  leave  the  subject 
too  incomplete. 

Some  periods  expressed  themselves  most  clearly  by 
leaving  the  wood  in  its  natural  stale,  or  nearly  so; others 
treated  it  so  that  the  naturalist  ie  tendency  might  be 
somewhat  obscured,  while  in  the  later  French  and 
English  periods  the  surfaces  were  entirely  covered  by 
gilt  or  enamel  in  order  that  they  might  be  brought  into 
closer  harmony  witli  other  materials. 

Even  in  a  brief  treatment  of  this  subject  one  general 
statemenl  may  be  made.  In  no  case,  excepting  in  very 
refined  and  artificial  Georgian  types,  and  in  those 
Louis  XV  style-  in  which  a  dear  and  transparent  sur- 
face wa-~  essential,  is  there  reason  for  varnishing  or 
glazing  wood>.  It  is  not  enough  to  know  that  a  depart- 
ment store  or  a  furniture  factory  has  tinned  out  pieces 
with  a  certain  varnished  treatment.  An  expert  finish  of 
wood  is  essential  in  order  that  the  wood  may  take  its 
place  in  the  decorative  scheme. 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

The  lighting  of  a  room  is  of  fundamental  importance 
in  the  general  effect.  Too  much  thought  cannot  be 
given  to  the  amount  of  light,  its  kind  and  its  distribu- 
tion. In  the  disposal  of  daylight  we  have  no  present 
concern,  but  the  matter  of  artificial  lighting  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  to  every  house  owner  and  to  every 
interior  decorator.  Since  colour  is  light,  without  it 
there  is  no  colour,  and  by  it  all  colour  combinations 
may  be  impaired.  Since  the  eye  sees  colour  only, 
light  is  the  element  most  important  in  interior  decora- 
tive effects. 

Let  us  consider  some  of  the  ways  in  which  rooms  have 
been  lighted.  The  most  impossible  thing  for  the  ordi- 
nary small  room  is  the  central  chandelier.  The  chande- 
lier of  Louis  XIV  and  XV  with  its  glass  prisms  sparkling 
amidst  the  lights  is  an  idea  that  is  consistent  with  the 
background,  furnishings  and  clothing  of  the  people 
for  whom  the  setting  was  planned.  This  same  chande- 
lier idea  translated  into  Jacobean  terms  is  quite  another 
matter.  To  put  it  into  modern  apartment  house  dec- 
oration is  an  even  more  difficult  problem. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  discuss  in  detail  the  hideous 
things  that  have  been  chosen  as  lighting  fixtures. 
They  are  in  many  cases  grotesque  beyond  words.  This, 
however,  is  not  their  worst  fault.  They  light  a  room 
in  such  a  way  that,  unless  everything  is  concentrated 
in  the  centre  of  the  room,  it  is  impossible  to  produce 
pleasing  effects,  as  well  as  irrational  to  expect  to  make 
use  of  the  lights. 

Side  bracket  lighting  is  a  great  improvement  over 
the  chandelier,  if  the  room  is  small  enough  to  get  suffi- 
cient light  in  this  way.  A  later  invention  is  called  the 
266 


SOME  SPECIAL  SUGGESTIONS 

indirect  lighting  system.  It  has  the  great  advantage  of 
producing  a  pleasing  light  on  the  door  or  near  it,  but  also 
the  much  greater  disadvantage  of  unduly  lighting  the  last 
place  in  the  world  that  should  be  lighted.  Of  whal  use 
is  a  brilliantly  lighted  ceiling,  and  how  can  one  expect 
to  keep  his  attention  on  the  lower  part  of  the  room 
when  the  upper  part  is  brilliantly  lighted?  Besides 
being  inartistic,  it  is  an  unwarranted  waste  of  Light. 
None  of  these  systems  so  far  seems  to  be  adequate  in 
function  or  beauty.  True,  an  occasional  man  says  lie 
has  never  seen  a  room  too  light.  It  might  be  remarked 
that  every  one  does  not  need  to  be  knocked  down  to 
know  that  he  is  hit,  neither  is  it  necessary  in  every  case 
to  fire  a  cannon  to  make  one  recognize  that  a  noise 
has  been  made.  It  is  equally  needless  to  use  all  the 
light  it  is  possible  to  get  to  obtain  functional  fitness  or 
(•harming  combination.  What  we  see  depends  wholly 
on  what  we  are  and  what  we  see  with. 

The  most  successful  way  of  lighting  a  room  is  be- 
side lights,  well  placed,  and  by  lamps — electric  or  other- 
wise— distributed  judiciously  about  the  room.  The 
size  of  the  room  and  its  function  determine  largely  the 
number  and  placement  of  these  lamps.  It  is  possible 
in  such  an  arrangement  to  have  light  enough  for  any 
purpose  at  any  time,  little  enough  for  COmforl  and  rest 
when  desired,  and  exactly  the  right  amount  in  the  right 
place  to  bring  out  any  group  of  things  in  the  room  or 
the  entire  room  as  may  be  desired. 

These  lamps  should  be  placed  for  reading,  sewing. 
writing,  or  to  call  attention  to  groups  of  furniture  or 
decorative  objects,  as  the  case  may  be.  This— and 
this  way  only— is  successful  in  bringing  out  the  charm 

267 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

which  every  living-room  should  possess  in  the  evening. 
The  shading  of  these  lamps,  and  the  side  lights  as  well,  is 
a  matter  of  great  moment.  In  fact,  more  depends  upon 
this,  probably,  than  upon  the  placement  of  the  lamps. 

No  one  colour  is  always  good  in  all  places  and  under 
all  circumstances,  but  all  soft,  neutralized  tones  of 
yellow,  yellow  orange,  orange,  red  orange,  yellow  green, 
green  and  blue  green  are  quite  possible  under  certain 
conditions.  The  yellows  and  orange  tones,  of  course, 
have  the  widest  range  of  usefulness.  These  need  not 
be  brilliant  in  intensity,  nor  can  one  say  they  should 
be  light  or  dark  in  value.  The  texture  of  the  material 
depends  upon  the  textural  decorative  idea  of  the  room. 
Sometimes  China  silk  is  light  and  graceful  enough  in 
feeling,  and  sometimes  a  brocade,  taffeta,  damask  and 
even  paper  parchment  has  been  used  with  astonishing 
decorative  effect  when  the  texture  of  the  room  was  con- 
sidered as  a  quality  in  the  design. 

One  thing  is  almost  certain.  The  shades  must  be 
covered  not  only  around  the  sides  but  on  the  top  with 
the  material  and  lined  with  white.  Often  two  thick- 
nesses of  the  material  are  used  with  the  white  lining 
to  concentrate  the  light  and  throw  it  down  upon  the 
objects  one  desires  to  light  brilliantly.  This  soft, 
soothing  light  properly  distributed  about  the  room 
makes  reading  and  writing  in  certain  parts  of  the  room 
a  delight,  while  other  portions  of  the  room  are  lighted 
in  such  a  manner  that  rest,  calm  and  repose  are  the 
feelings  induced. 

Lighting,  then,  should  be  considered,  like  every- 
thing else,  a  matter  of  fitness  and  a  method  of  tying 
together    the    apparently    unrelated    elements    of    a 


SOME  SPECIAL  SUGGESTIONS 

room  in  one  unit  of  keyed  colour  so  that  not  only 
beauty,  but  pleasure  through  it.  is  the  inevitable  out- 
come. 

There  is  ;tn  opportunity  for  fine  distinction  in  the 
selection  and  arrangement  of  bric-a-brac  or  ornament. 
The  room,  when  finished,  is  ;i  unit,  or  should  he.  This 
does  not  mean  th.it  it  should  contain  one  idea  only. 
It  means  that  only  such  qualities  of  colour,  form,  line 
and  texture  should  be  associated  together  as  accord  in 
spirit  and  are  harmonious. 

The  principles  of  colour  and  form  as  discussed  in 
Part  I  should  aid  one  in  deciding  when  things  are  com- 
fortable as  parts  of  a  general  whole.  It  does  not  take  a 
very  keen  sense  of  appreciation  to  see  that  a  picture  of 
the  period  of  Henry  II  and  Marie  de  Medici  is  quite 
out  of  harmony  \sith  a  Gothic  chest  panel  or  a  Gothic 
figure.  Nor  does  it  take  much  imagination  to  see  that 
the  curved-line,  symbolic,  and  imaginative  detail  of  the 
Gothic  period  is  quite  out  of  concord  with  the  dancing, 
sprightly  gayety  of  the  curves  used  in  the  lime  of  Louis 
XV. 

Sevres  ware,  in  its  texture,  colour  and  import,  is  a 
pari  of  the  period  of  Louis  XV.  It  is  as  forbidding 
with  some  other  pottery  or  ornament  opposed  to  it  in 
spirit  as  the  other  articles  of  furniture  which  we  have 
named.  Old  Chinese  pottery  of  the  Ming  dynasty  is 
useful  in  Italian,  Early  English,  Early  French  and 
modern  rooms  to  as  large  an  <\tcnt  as  any  one  orna- 
ment type.  That  is  because  it  is  of  a  refined,  subdued 
colour,  graceful  shape  and  no  obtrusive  design.  It 
would  scarcely  find  a  place,  however,  in  the  late  French 
or  late  Georgian  styles,  where  daintiness  and  light  and 

i 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

daring  treatments  are  the  particular  charm  of  these 
periods. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  too  many  such  things  are  used 
in  most  rooms.  In  very  luxurious  ones  this  is  almost 
certain  to  be  true.  There  is  an  equal  chance  to  overdo 
this  matter  in  the  cheapest  kind  of  material.  The 
department  stores  and  other  shops  place  on  sale  so 
much  wildly  formed,  badly  covered,  cheaply  manu- 
factured stuff,  which  they  call  pretty,  that  people 
with  a  desire  for  beauty,  and  not  too  much  taste  culti- 
vation, are  quite  likely  to  fall  a  prey.  There  can 
scarcely  be  too  few  pieces  of  ornament  unless  one  is 
certain  such  pieces  are  beautiful  in  themselves,  in 
harmony  with  the  rest  of  the  room  and  positively  es- 
sential as  a  decorative  note  in  the  general  scheme. 
With  this  key  no  one  can  go  far  astray. 

There  are  herds  of  cows,  droves  of  sheep,  flocks 
of  birds  and  regiments  of  men;  but  what  shall  we  call 
the  general  use  of  flowers  in  compressed  masses  as 
they  are  commonly  used  with  the  idea  that  they  are 
decorative?  "When  the  Japanese  are  able  to  see  two 
flowers  in  one  vase  they  have  arrived  at  an  extravagant 
use  of  these  the  most  beautiful  of  nature's  materials. 
Three  are  seen  together  very  rarely. 

How  often  one  is  appalled  at  the  number  of  roses 
that  it  is  possible  to  squeeze  into  one  small  jar.  When 
it  is  not  possible  to  get  them  all  in,  of  course  they  can 
be  thrown  around  upon  the  table.  There  also  seems 
to  be  some  lack  of  consideration  as  to  where  the  crowded 
bowl  shall  finally  find  a  resting-place.  Flowers,  for 
the  sake  of  flowers  in  a  room,  are  not  decorative.  They 
are  decorative  when  they  are  of  the  kind  in  colour, 
270 


SOME  SPECIAL  SUGGESTIONS 

textural  feeling  and  arrangemenl  to  harmonize  with 
the  place  in  which  they  are  put;  otherwise  they  are 
an  unrelated  element  in  the  mom. 

Vases,  which  arc  as  attractive  in  themselves  as  flowers 
are  by  themselves,  are  bad  decorative  adjuncts.  There 
is  no  better  way  to  show  flowers  than  to  use  them  in 
glass  vases,  where  their  beautiful  stems  are  as  delightful 
as  the  flowers  themselves.  Use  few  in  one  place;  care- 
fully select  them  as  to  kind;  put  them  together  well  in 
the  vase,  and  carefully  place  them  with  reference  to 
their  surroundings.  This  will  give  flowers  a  place  in 
the  scheme  of  interior  decoration  befit  ting  their  beauty 
and  also  respecting  their  nature  quality. 

Somebody  will  ask:  "What  about  china  for  a 
dining-room?"  All  the  way  along  it  has  seemed  easier 
to  cite  bad  things  in  china  than  in  any  other  medium. 
By  this  time  it  must  be  clear  that  even  china  must  be 
subject  to  the  same  laws  of  selection  as  other  articles  of 
furnishing  and  fitting. 

When  plain  white  china  is  used  there  can  be  no  great 
discord.  Plain  white,  however,  does  not  always  seem 
to  be  strong  enough  structurally  for  the  scale  of  the 
table  and  other  dining-room  accessories.  The  struc- 
tural effect  may  be  greatly  strengthened  and  the  dec- 
orative idea  appear  when  a  plain  i;ill  band  is  used,  or 
something  so  nearly  approaching  this  that  strengthen- 
ing of  structure  is  the  fundamental  impression  one  re- 
ceives from  it. 

Let  us  remember  that  china  i-.  no  place  to  show  pic- 
tures and  that  if  picture-  on  dishes  become  more  im- 
portant than  the  dishes  themselves,  the  same  conditions 
OlUSl  obtain  a-  those  in  which  the  picture  frame  is  more 

¥i  l 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

important  than  the  picture,  or  the  carving  on  the  chair 
more  appealing  than  its  proportion  or  the  comfort 
derived  from  sitting  in  it.  If  flowers  must  be  used  in 
any  other  way  than  that  described,  their  decorative 
material  should  be  structurally  applied,  carefully 
censored  as  to  amount,  and  the  motifs  so  convention- 
alized that  they  are  unquestionably  "nature  adapted 
to  the  material  in  which  it  is  expressed." 

These  simple  details  are  submitted  in  a  practical 
way  that  it  may  be  clear  to  him  who  reads  that  the 
smallest  detail  is  not  unimportant  in  the  final  criticism 
of  any  room.  This  criticism  must  leave  the  mind 
convinced  that  the  room  is  a  unit:  a  unit,  first,  in  its 
function  idea  perfectly  expressed,  and  second,  a  unit  in 
beauty  of  expression,  no  element  of  which  can  be  taken 
from  it,  and  to  which  no  element  can  be  added  without 
destroying  the  fundamental  idea. 

Every  house  ever  built  was  really  a  period  house.  The 
modern  American  house,  like  any  other  period  house, 
must,  first  of  all,  be  considered  with  reference  to  the  way 
in  which  it  is  to  be  used.  Man  now  looks  not  to  the 
past  to  find  something  to  copy  or  to  graft  on  to  some 
irregular  background  as  an  adequate  expression  of 
modern  life,  neither  is  he  satisfied  with  mere  housing 
or  sheltering  qualities.  The  house  appears  to  the 
educated  thinking  man  as  a  necessity  and  as  an  en- 
vironment for  mental  comfort  and  natural  growth. 

Decorators  and  owners  alike  are  coming  to  see  that 
life  in  this  country  is  expressed  in  scientific  terms; 
that  with  the  present  viewpoint,  as  a  people  we  cannot 
develop  a  consciousness  capable  of  feeling  the  art 
quality  as  did  the  Italians  during  the  Renaissance 
272 


SOME  SPECIAL  SUGGESTIONS 

period.  Nor  can  we  realize  the  imaginative  possibilities 
in  it  as  expressed  in  the  Gothic-  period.  They  are  seeing 
more  surely  the  psychological  relation  between  man 
and  his  works  and  the  indisputable  power  of  environ- 
ment in  determining  one's  future  efficiency. 

They  are  getting  also  nearer  to  the  truth  that  prin- 
ciples are  expressed  in  the  language  of  colour  and  form 
as  truly  as  they  are  in  musical  tones  or  through  words 
or  other  symbols  which  express  man's  ideas.  They 
are  going  to  test  the  house,  its  furnishings,  and  its  de- 
corations, by  the  common-sense  standard  of  functional 
modern  fitness  as  well  as  from  the  intellectual  and  emo- 
tional standpoint  of  beauty,  realizing  the  power  of 
beauty  in  life  development.  This  opens  a  new  chapter 
in  the  field  of  interior  decoration. 

With  these  conditions  in  mind,  every  individual 
should  approach  his  own  problem.  lie  will  remember, 
then,  that  his  house  expresses  himself,  his  intelligence, 
his  ideas  of  art,  his  best  conceptions  of  the  aesthetic 
idea,  and,  so  far  as  his  means  will  allow,  the  qualities 
of  materials  which  are  best  suited  to  fulfill  this  three- 
fold ideal.  This  viewpoint  dignifies  the  personal  idea 
and  places  it  foremost  in  the  consideration  of  the  decora- 
tion of  a  modern  house.  In  the  next  place  he  will  con- 
sider carefully  the  individual  function  of  every  room 
and  how  he  can  most  consistently  express  this  func- 
tional idea. 

The  geography  of  a  house,  and  all  it  exacts,  one's 
presenl  incumbrances,  their  limitations  and  their  pos- 
sibilities, together  with  the  knowledge  of  periods  ami 
all  that  they  imply,  these  arc  also  considerations  of 
importance  to  him  who  would  realize  the  perfect  ideal 

27:! 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 

of  the  house,  and  each  room  in  the  house,  as  a  personal 
creation  and  a  form  of  self-expression. 

All  this  must  be  given  in  the  language  of  colour, 
form,  line  and  texture,  governed  by  the  principles 
which  are  the  very  structure  of  this  language.  Letting 
one's  feelings  and  imagination  be  governed  by  his 
intelligence,  the  house  will  be  sincere,  consistent  and 
suited  to  the  person  associated  with  it  and  living  in  it. 
It  can  be  in  this  way  no  better,  and  should  be  no  worse, 
than  the  individual  whose  personal  creation  it  is. 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Adam  brothers.  Work  of  the,  204-205 

Aesthetic  judgment,  13 

American  colour  feeling,  54 

American  house,  The  modern,  272 

Anglo-Saxon  simplicity,  172 

Anne  of  Austria,  I  IS 

Anne,  Period  of  Queen,  sec  Queen  Anne 

period 
Antiquity  net  beauty,  14 

Arabesque  ornament,  110 
Arcs  of  circle  and  ellipse,  6~> 
Area  divisions,  7 >  76 
Arrangement,  Taste  in,  II 

\rt.    13    IS 

\n  periods,  1 17   130 
Art  periods,  tee  alto  Periods 
Artistic  homes  no  luxury,  227 
Artist's  furnishings,  The,  :i 
Assyrian  ornament,  111 
Astragal  motif,  ISO 

Hi  -  table,  230 

51,  229 
Backgrounds,  A  rule  for,  H> 

Is  of  Louis  \  1\  period,  150 
I  tin  kgrounds  r.f  Louis  XV  period,  158 
Backgrounds  of  the  Little  Trianon,  160 
Bad  taste,  Conservative,  234 

Examples  of ,  232 
Had  taste,    ■■  alto  Taste 
Balance,  78-87 
Balance  "f  ihapi 
Balance  of 

Banquet  hall  furniture,  I7H 

II-  in  .  I\  period,  I  i'i 


Hurkingham,  Duke  of,  US 

Beauty  defined,  13,  14,  2N> 

Beauty  and  use,  8 

Bedroom  wall  papers,  2t."> 

Bedrooms,  6 

Binary  colours,  22 

Bird  patterns.  11 

Bisymmetric  balance  experiments,  79- 

82 
Black,  27,  37  88 

Black  walnut  period,  70,  21G-219 
Blue.  2 1-2,5,  37 
I  ■  i  Primary  colours 

Boleyn,  Anne,  176 
Book  page  margins,  76 
Bouj        ;     Henry  IV  period,  140 
Bric-a-brac,  236,  26 
British  art,  see  English  art 

bellow 
Building  materials,  ill 

"Cabinetmaker's  and   Upholsterer's 
Guide,  The,"  200 

I    leg,  The,  155,  190  181 

l  Rugs 

Catherine  de  Medici,  137 

lour,  30 
Ceiling,  wall  and  Boor,  Law  for,  33 
Chair  design,  97   100 
Chair  pla<  u 

Chairs,  Italian  Renaissance,  36,  67 
Chairs  "f  Louis  XV,  159 
Chairs  of  Louis  W  I.  6  > 
Chairs.  Tudor.   182 

i  ■  ii  Willi, mi.  198 

277 


INDEX 

Chandeliers,  266 

Charles  II,  184 

Chimney  piece,  The,  10 

Chinaware,  Good  taste  in,  271 

Chinese-Chippendale,  198 

Chinese  pottery,  Old,  269 

Chippendale,  Work  of  Thomas,  196-199, 

202 
Churches,  see  also  Meeting-houses 
Circle  arcs,  65 
City  house,  The,  22,  24,  243 
Classic  art,  True  and  false,  124 
Classic  idea  in  Louis  XIV  architecture, 


Conventionalization  defined,  111 
Conventionalizing  necessary,  11 
Cool  colours,  28 
Country  houses,  Red  in,  24 
Country  house,  The,  243 
Cream,  see  Yellow 
Cromwellian  furniture,  183 
Curtain  hanging,  63,  260-262 
Curtain  rods  and  rings,  261 
Curtains,  Inner  and  outer,  260-261 
Curtains,  see  also  Hangings 
Curved-line  furniture,  69 
Curved  lines,  64,  189,  219-220 


Classic  motifs  eliminated,  159 
Classic  restoration,  A,  164 
Clock,  The  Colonial,  214 
Collector's  furnishings,  The,  3 
Colonial  style,  The,  32,  181,  206-222 
Colour,  17-55,  88,  89,   151,   156,   162, 

249 
Colour  and  light,  20 
Colour  and  personality,  249 
Colour  and  sound,  19 
Colour  attraction,  88 
Colour  little  understood,  18 
Colour  qualities.  The  three,  27-43 
Coloured  objects.  Arrangement  of,  89 
Colours,  Cool  and  warm,  28,  29,  50-51 
Colours  of  Louis  XIV  period,  151 
Colours  of  Louis  XV  period,  162-163 
Colours  of  the  regency,  156 
Colour,  see  also  Hue,  Intensity,  Value 
Commercial-social   art   influence,    121, 

133 
Complementary  colours,  38,  46-47 
Composition,  56,  95 
Connoisseur's  rooms,  The,  3 
Consciousness  and  the  senses,  103 
Conservatism,  Ill-judged,  234 
Consistency  in  Greek  art,  123 
Consistent  shapes  and  sizes,  63 
Consistent  structural  writing,  58 
Contrasts  in  size,  74 
278 


Decorating  problem,  12 
Decorating  trade,  233 
Decoration  and  ornamentation,  10 
Decoration  and  structure,  9-10 
Decoration  fallacies,  4 
Decoration,  Individualism  in,  238-250 
Decoration,  Intemperate,  161 
Decoration,  Modern,  225-237 
Decoration,  Reasonable,  5 
Decoration,  Steps  in  tasteful,  229-237 
Decoration,  What  is,  14 
Decorative  arrangement,  11 
Decorative  period  qualities,  118 
Decorators  and  personality,  248-250 
Decorator's  opportunity,  The,  228-231 
Decorator's  stumbling  blocks,  The,  230- 

236 
Democratic  ideals  and  English  art,  173 
Dentil  motif,  150 
Design  defined,  56 
Diane  de  Poitiers,  136 
Dining-rooms,  5 
Dishes,  Flowered,  8 
Divisions,  Mechanical  and  artistic,  73- 

76 
Door  casings,  9 
Drawing-rooms,  6 

Dutch  Colonial,  see  Middle  Colonial 
Dutch  influence  on  Queen  Anne  period, 

187-191 


INDEX 


Ecni.  see  Yellow 

Edict  of  Nantes,  1S9,  146 

Egg-and-art  motif,  ISO 

Egyptian  ornament,  1 10 

Elephant's  breath, 

Ellipse  arcs,  65 

Elizabethan  style,  Application  of  the, 

179 
Elizabethan  furniture,  177 
Elizabethan  interiors,  177 
Elizabethan    period,    see    also    Tudor 

period 
Elizabethan  textiles,  176 
English  art.  171    174 
English  artistic  feeling,  .53 

i  menl  cloth,  262 
English  idea  of  hi  me,  17  i 
English  indivi  lealisni.  100 

.   !i\ 
Environment,  Importance  of,  227 

"  Feminine"  coli 

Feminine  influence,  see  Women,  Art  for, 

Fitness  in  decora!  ii 

Fitness  of  art  objects,  1  is 

Flemish  curve,  The,  155 

Flemish  influence,  14S,  182 

Flemish  scroll,  160,  182 

Floor,  ceiling  and  wall,  Law  for,  33 

I  loor  ...lour,  30 

Floor  lini 

Flower  patterns,  1 1 

Mower  selection  and  arrangement,  270 

Flowered  furnishings,  8  0 

!  personality,  250 
Form,  Principles  of,  56  77 
Forms,  straight-line  and  curved-line,  60 
I  rames  for  pi<  tures,  253  256 
France,  the  home  of  Gothic  181 
i   ,,,d  his  period,  182,  185 
Franklin.  Benjamin,  218 

1  rtyle,  213 


French  Renaissance,  11,  128,  131-1. 53 
French  styles,  145  153 
French  styles  in  America,  220 
Fruit  patterns,  11 

Function  idea  dominates,  4-7,  239-240 
Furniture  arrangement.  60-63,  87 
Furniture,  "Black  walnut,"  70 
Furniture  colour,  30 
Furniture.  Flizal.etlian.  177 
Furniture,  Italian  Renaissance,  69 
Furniture,  Mission,  70 
Furniture  of  Francis  I.  136 
Furniture  of  Renrj  11.  137 
Furniture  of  Henry  VII,  174 
Furniture  of  Louis  XIV.  151 
Furniture  of  Louis  X\ .  89,  159 
Furniture  of  Louis  XVI.  69,  166-167 
Furniture  of  Kew  England,  209  210 
Furniture  of  Queen  Anne,  190  192 
Furniture,  Treatment  of  wood  in,  165 
Furniture.  Tudor.  I 

Furniture,  set   dso  Chippendale,  Hepple- 
white,  Sheraton 

"Gentleman's  and  Cabinetmaker's  Di- 
re tor,  The,"  197 

Geographical  considerations  important, 
ill  ill 

Gilding  woodwork,  264 

('.ill  picture  frames,  254  255 

Glazed  furniture.  265 

Gold  colour,  27 

Golden  Mean.  The.  7:i 

Good  taste,  Ji  i  Bad  taste  and  Taste, 
125,  131 

Grain,  The,  in  woodwork,  263 

Gravitation  law  and  balance,  78 

Gray,  The  neutral,  21,  *7 

Greek  art  intellectual,  72 

(Iroek  eonsisteney,  123 

Greek  deduction,   I 

Greek  idea.  The,  121-124 

Greek  ideals  of  beauty,  71-73 

Greek  law,  The,  73 

279 


INDEX 


Greek  law  of  areas,  76 

Greek  moderation,  122 

Greek  ornament,  110 

Greek  simplicity  and  sincerity,  123 

Green,  25 

Green,  see  Binary  colours 

Grill  work,  70 

Hair  flowers,  109 
Hanging  pictures,  256-258 
Hangings,  34-35,  229,  258-263 
Hangings,  see  also  Curtains 
Harmonious  forms,  66 
Harmonious  furnishing,  246 
Harmony  in  decoration,  16 
Harmony  in  picture  selection,  252 
Harmony  is  beauty,  241 
Harmony  of  colours,  43-48 
Heirlooms,  Tasteless,  230 
Hellenic,  see  Greek 
Henry  II  period,  136-137 
Henry  IV  period,  137-141 
Henry  VII,  Architecture  of,  174 
Henry  VIII  and  his  period,  172,  173, 176 
Hepplewhite's  style  and  ideals,  199-203 
Historic  background  of  Colonial,  207 
Historic  background  of  English  art,  171 
Historic  periods  in  art,  55,  117-130 
History  expressed  in  art,  51,  118 
Holbein  portraits,  178 
Home  idea  in  England,  174 
House  furnishing,  Modern,  225-237 
House,  The  modern  American,  272 
Houses  not  museums,  3 
Hue,  a  colour  quality,  27-31 
Huguenots,  The,  138,  146 
Humanistic  influence,  126 

Ideal  Proportion,  The,  73 

Inconsistency,  100 

Indirect  lighting  system,  The,  267 

Individualism  in  decoration,  238-250 

Individualism  in  England,  196 

Individual's  colour  needs,  The,  47 

280 


Individual's  problem,  The,  273 
Intensity,  a  colour  quality,  37-13 
"Interior  decoration"  misleading,  3 
Interior  decoration,  Modern,  2L25-237 
Interiors  by  the  Adams  brothers,  205 
Interiors,  Elizabethan,  177 
Interiors,  French,  in  America,  220 
Interiors  of  New  England,  209 
Interiors,  Tudor,  183 
Italian  colour  feeling,  52 
Italian  influence  in  Henry  VIII  period, 

176 
Italian  influence  in  modern  America,  222 
Italian  Renaissance,  127,  132 
Italian  Renaissance  chairs,  36 
Italian  Renaissance  furniture,  36,  57, 69 

Jacobean  period  inspired  Colonial,  181 
Jacobean  period,  see  also  Stuart  period 
James  I  period,  Restraint  of,  180 
Japanese  occult  balance,  83 
Japanese  prints,  Frames  for,  255 
Japanese  restraint  in  picture,  253 
Japanese  size  feeling,  71 

Keying  a  colour,  29-31 

Lace  curtains,  34-35 

Lafayette,  Marquis  de,  213 

Lamps  and  lamp  shades,  267-268 

Landlords  without  taste,  232 

La  Valliere,  Madame  de,  147 

Lavender,  see.  Purple 

Lemon,  see  Yellow 

Leonardo's  statement  of  proportion,  73 

Light  and  colour,  20 

Light-giving  colours,  48-49 

Lighting  arrangements,  266-269 

Lighting  conditions,  244 

Lilac,  see  Purple 

Line  harmony,  57 

Line  simplification,  61 

Lines  in  good  composition,  65 

Lines  in  rugs,  70 


INDEX 


Little  Trianon,  165-166 

Living-rooms,  6 

London  smoke,  tee  Purple 

Louis  XII.  forerunner  of  French  Renais- 
sance, 132 

Louis  MIL  Period  of,  142,  [44 

Louis  XIV.  US 

I/.uh  XIV  period,  119,  1  t.">  153 

Louis  XIV  rhythm,  100 

Louis  XV  furniture,  57,  (■:> 

Louis  XV  period,  The,  15C-1G1 

Louis  XV  period  and  occult  arrange- 
ment. 83 

Louis  \\  .  Personality  and  court  of,  l">7 

Louis  XVI  chair 

Louis  XVI  period,  : 

Louis  XVI.  Personality  of,  105 

I  ouis  W  I  style  influences  Colonial,  213 

Louvre,  The.  1 19 

Luminosity  in  colour.  18   t:t 

Magna  Charts,  173 

..  Use  of,  32,  180.  191 
Maintcnon,  Madame  de,  1 17 
Marble-topped  tables,  i\~ 
Margins,  Book-page,  76 
Man.-  Antoinette,  165  166,  213 
Marie  de  Medici,  I 
"  Masculine"  colours,  54 
Materialism  of  Louis  XV  period,  1">fi 
Materials  and  pattern-.  1 1 
Matted  pictures,  36,  255-256 
Mazarin,  Cardinal,  1 15 
Mauve,  sec  Purple 
Medk  is.  The,  tee  Catherine  de  Medici, 

and  Man.  de  Medi<  i 
Mediums,  Harmony  in  picture,  262 
Meeting-houses  of  New  England,  208 
Middle  Colonial,  i\i 
Military  formality  of  Louis  XIV  period, 

- 
Minors,  < loIoniaL  215 
Mirror..  Queen   \nn.-.  192 
I 


Moderation  in  Greek  art,  Mi 
Modern  house,  The,  225  237 
Mohammedan  ornament.  110 
Montespan,  Madame  de,  1  W 
Motif  scales,  113 

Motif  badly bined,  1  12 

•  I  and  bad,  1 1 1 
Motifs:  musical,  literary  and  decorative, 

107 
Motifs  of  Louis  XIV.  150 
Motifs  "ii  gill  picture  frames.  254 
Motifs,  Restraint  in  use  of,  113 
Mouldings  of  picture  frames,  255 
Mount  \  ernon,  213 
Movement,  90-03,  96 
Museum  house.  The.  :! 
Musical  symbols,  17 

National  feeling  and  colour,  52  55 

Naturalism,  Decadent,  I  n 
Naturalism,   Hellenic  and   humanistic, 
126 

Naturalism  not  art.  11.  108 
Naturalistic  motifs.   161 
Naturalistic  ornament,  109 
Nature  copying,  11 

Needlework  of  Queen  Anne  period,  192 
Neutral  tones,  27 
Neutralization  of  colours,  St 
New  England  Puritans,  207-211 
V  v,    I!,  nai-s  ne  .■  in  America.  222 
Non-bisymmetric  arrangement.  159 
"Normal  colour,"  Meaning  of,  i"! 
Northern  Colonial,  2ns 

Northern  house,  The,  2t:; 

Oblique  line  .  91 

I 

Occult  balance,  S2-SG,  159 

Orange.  25 

(►rang.-,  tee  also  liinary  colours 

Oriental  ru. 

( Mental  ru 

n    Problems  of,  m 


INDEX 


Ornament,  Abstract,  110 
Ornament  must  suit  material,  11 
Ornament  of  Louis  XVI,  167 
Ornament,  Restraint  in,  270 
Ornamentation  and  decoration,  10 
Oval  curves,  65 

Painted  woodwork,  264 

Paintings  not  art,  15 

Parlours  of  New  England,  The,  214 

Pattern  must  suit  material,  1 1 

Period  copyists,  235 

"Period"  defined,  119 

Period  pictures  in  period  rooms,  252 

Periods,  How  to  study,  119-120,  128- 

130 
Periods  in  general,  117-130 
Periods  of  English  art,  175 
Periods,  The  three  stages  of,  135 
Personality  in  decoration,  238-250 
Petit  Trianon,  see  Little  Trianon 
Photographs  and  personality,  250 
Photographs,  Frames  for,  255 
Piano  placing,  87 
Picture  composition,  95 
Picture  frames,  253-256 
Picture  hanging,  62-«3,  93,  256-258 
Picture  language,  17 
Picture  mats,  36 

Picture  mediums,  Harmony  in,  252 
Picture  placing,  66-67,  68,  257 
Pictures  in  decorating,  251-258 
Pigments,  21 

Political  art  impulse,  The,  121 
Pompadour,  Madame  de,  157 
Portiere  hanging,  11 
Portieres,  see  also  Hangings,  Curtains 
Portraits,  Elizabethan,  178 
Pottery  of  the  regency,  156 
Pottery,  Old  Chinese,  269 
Vrimary  colours,  21-25 
Printed  linen  of  Louis  XV,  162 
Proportion  in  High  Greek  period,  99 
Puritan  influence  on  Tudor  period,  185 


Puritans  of   New    England,    see    New 

England  Puritans 
Purple,  26-27 
Purple,  see  also  Binary  colours 

Queen  Anne  period,  186 

Red,  23-24 

Red,  see  also  Primary  colours 

Regency  period,  The,  154 

Religious  art  impulse,  The,  120 

Renaissance  chairs,  36 

Renaissance,  French,  128,  131-153 

Renaissance  influence,  11 

Renaissance,  Italian,  127,  132 

Renaissance,  see  also  New  Renaissance. 

Restfulness,  79,  81,  90-93 

Restraint  of  James  I  period,  181 

Rhythm  in  Louis  XIV  period,  100 

Richelieu,  Cardinal,  143,  145 

Rocaille,  150,  160 

Rococo,  150,  155 

Roof  design,  Italian.  101 

Roses,  Experiments  with,  108 

Roses  on  the  walls,  112 

Rubens,  Paintings  of,  140 

Rug  colours,  30 

Rug  design,  10,  94 

Rug  placing,  59 

Rugs,  33-34,  42 

Rugs,  Importance  of,  229 

Rugs,  Lines  in,  70 

Rugs  of  black  walnut  period,  218 

Rugs,  see  also  Carpets,  Oriental  rugs 

Scale,  Importance  of,  247 

Scale  in  motifs,  113 

Scale  interpreted,  97 

Scroll  motif,  Italian,  150 

Second  Renaissance,  see  New  Renait^ 

sanee 
See-saw  and  occult  balance,  84 
Senses,  The,  and  consciousness,  103 
Sensuousness  of  Louis  XV  period,  150 


INDEX 


Sentimental  furnishings.  T,  230 

181,  206 
"Shade,"  Meaning  of,  27 

Shades  fur  lamp.-.  2liH 

Shell  Bowers,  109 

Shell  motif,  [60 

Sheraton,  Style  and  work  of,  202-204 

Size  balance,  90 

Sizi-  consistency,  71 

Siw  contrast,  7  i 

Social  idea  and  art,  121 

Sound  and  colour  analogies,  19 

Sound  symbols,  17 

Southern  Colonial  style,  211  212 

Southern  house,  The,  212 

Spanish  colour  ■•  • 

Steelyards  and  occult  balai 

Straight-line  furniture,  69 

Straight  lines,  64 

Struetural  lines  important,  16 

Structure  determines  form,  .37 

Stuart  period,  1S0-185 

Stuart  period,  tee  also  Jacobean 

Table  design,  100-102 
Table,  Rug  and  cloth  for.  71 
Tapestries,  lit 

of  Henrj  II  period,  IS6 
Tapestries  of  I»ui>  XV  period,  1<>2 
Tapestry  pi 

Tapestry.        ai  o  Ne<  dlework 
Taste,  Development  of,  226 

i   trrangement,  11 
I  i    o  Bad  tasb 

Tasteful  furnishings  nol  costly,  228 

irticles,  Disposal  of,  2:il 
Tasteless  artii  !•  -  in  shops,  233 
I  -        i  ■  and  i  olour,  29 

Textiles,  Elizabethan,  179 
■•  Henr;   II.  156 
Textiles  of  I-  uu  XVI,  168 
I 

I    dor,  IHl 
Textures,  103  107 


T.\!urr~.  Balance  of,  00 

Theatres,  Elizabethan,  179 

"Tint."  Meaning  of.  27 

"  1 1  >m  .     Meaning  of,  27 

Transitional  styles,   ISC. 

"Triad  scheme"  <if  colour  harmony,  47 

'Prim  and  wall  colourings,  32 

Trim.  Treatment  of  the,  268 

Tudor  furniture,  1S2 

Tudor  interiors,  is:; 

Tudor  period,   17.">    17!» 

Tudor    period,    see    «/«»    Elizabethan 

period 
Twisted  wood,  Flemish,  1S2 

Unity  in  decoration,  272 
Upholstery,  Colour  of,  30 
I  -  autj ,  8 

Value  a  colour  quality,  31-37 

Value  scale,  A.  :il 

Varnished  furniture.  265 

Vases  and  flowers,  271 

Vegetable  patterns,  1 1 

Versailles,  Court  of.  146 

Versailles,  Palace  at.  I  ts.  [66 

\  ertical  oblongs,  'it;.  :  t 

Victorian   era,   see   also   Black   walnut 

period 
Vinci's  rule  of  proportion,  73 
Violet,  see  Purple 

Wall,  ceiling  and  Boor,  Law  for,  33 

iur,  :l<) 
Wall  decorative  principles,  61 

Wall  spa' 

Wall  paper,  <  'hoicc  of.  2t."> 
Wall  paper  experiments,    H-J2,  91-92 
red,  '■> 
■ .  Unrestful,  94 
w  ill      nd  occult  balance,  86-86 
Warm  ..,l.,ur>.  29 
Warm  tones,  60  '.l 
Washington,  George,  21:1 

283 


INDEX 

Water  colours,  Frames  for,  255 
Wax  flowers,  109 
White,  Stanford,  124 
White,  a  "neutral,"  27 
William  the  Conqueror,  172 
William  the  Stadtholder,  187 
Window  dressing,  40 
Window  hangings,  11 
Window  placing,  59 
Women,  A  style  for,  146,  147 


Women  and  the  French  Renaissance, 

133-134 
Wood  carving  of  Henry  II  period,  130 
Wooden  furniture,  Treatment  of,  205 
Woodwork,  Colonial,  215-216 
Woodwork,  Treatment  of,  263-265 
Wren,  Sir  Christopher,  193  ■ 

Yellow,  22-23 

Yellow,  see  aho  Primary  colours 


284 


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